KM\ET 


Meredith  College 

/ 

/    Raleigh,  North  Carolina 

J 

Quarterly  Bulletin 


A  RETROSPECT 
A  PROSPECT 


CENTRAL  CIRCULATION  BOOKSTACKS 

The  person  charging  this  material  is  re- 
sponsible for  its  return  to  the  library  from 
which  it  was  borrowed  on  or  before  the 
Latest  Date  stamped  below. 

Theft/  mutilation,  and  underlining  of  book*  are  reasons 
for  disciplinary  action  and  may  result  in  dismissal  from 
the  University. 
TO  RENEW  CALL  TELEPHONE  CENTER,  333-8400 

UNIVERSITY   OF    ILLINOIS   LIBRARY  AT   URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 


NOV  3  0  1992 


When  renewing  by  phone,  write  new  due  date  below 
previous  due  date.  L162 


Series  18 


JUNE,  1925 


No.  4,  Pt.  2 


(Pen 


^^g^@^S<a%#€€^^€#<§j  ®  ^/^^%jmS%>W^B%^fB^%l 


-JfaAuuf.- 


(Permission  of  Biblical  Recorder) 


Series  18  JUNE,  1925  No.  4,  Pt.  2 


Meredith  College 


QUARTERLY  BULLETIN 
1924-25 

A  RETROSPECT 
A  PROSPECT 


Published  by  Meredith  College  in  November,   January,  March,   and  June 

Entered   as   second-class   matter,   January    17,    1910,    at  the   post-oflfice   at   Raleigh, 
N.  C,   under  the  act  of  July   16,    1894 


Supplement 


g35    ALMA  MATER 

1 

R.  T. 

N        h        it 

Vann 

(y  •>          is          s 

t           ». 

1 

J    . 

V      J           ^ 

1         ■ 

iHl  1        m         * 

-^—f— s- 

dv 

-. — J— ;  i- 

-ff- 

-4-  fc=J= 

~^— 

1.  We      sa  -  lute    thee,    Al  - 

2.  Thou  hast  come  thro'  trib 

3.  In       thy   path      the  fields 

4.  Where  the  rho  -  do  -  den  - 

5.  Where  the  sons     of      Car 

^    ^    J.       is      h 

ma  Ma  -  ter, 
■  u    -    la  -  tion 

shall  blossom 
dron  blush  -  es 
•    o    -    li   -    na 

v- \r 

we      sa  - 
and    thy 
and     the 
on      the 
taught  a 

2  ^ 

r 

lute 
robe 
des  - 
bur 
na  - 

1 
-#-  * 

thee   with     a 
is   clean   and 
ert  shall     re  - 
-    ly   mountain's 
tion     to       be 

h    in    r^ 

-#-      J      -m- 

— & ■ 

1 

song, 
white, 
joice, 
breast, 
free, 
1 

fi\*  « 

#     # 

9 

P %  •  S 

a       0 

p 

r       r 

1 

W     I            «              * 

*  •    i*     i* 

m 

0        * 

1              ! 

&         \ 

■*    r     i 

i         1                 ( 

v      v      v 

i           * 

b      1/ 

1 

U      f 

V 

1         1 

r 

rrm 


V 
al 
the 


At  thy      feet        our      loy 

Thou  art      fair    -      er       than 

In  the      wil     -     der  -  ness        a 

In  the  mid    -    land,  where    the 

And  her  daugh  -  ters    taught  their 


h        V-         0 


I 

their 

mer 

ing 
deer      love 

era        to 

i    r 


trib 

in 

foun 


^-      V 


I  i 

ute  lay ; 

its  bloom, 

tain  spring; 

to  roam; 

be  brave; 

I  I 


i 


zpzr 


l 

fs 

Is    p 

| 

V 

s 

1              IS        h        x 

!/          IS          IS 

4    • 

^ 

J             ^      J         n 

1 

/Pi 

■"           9 

4 

^ 

J 

J 

^    *          m         *         J 

I 

\(\\        m          J 

S 

s 

m    '         Z         0         * 

-         1 

\s\)        m          9m 

— 

m 

9 

f 

r 

i                i           i           P 

/^         ' 

J  i>    C  r 

J 

1/    1/    1 

1 

w 

\> 

1                f         \>         I 

We      had   wait  - 

ed 

for     thy     com 

-ing 

in 

the 

dark  -  ness,  wait  -  ed 

long, 

Thou   art    born 

Tan  ■ 

to       a    king  - 

dom 

and 

thy 

crown      is      all       of 

light ; 

For      the  blind 

shall 

see     thy   beau 

-  ty 

and 

the 

deaf    shall  hear  thy 

voice, 

Where  the    wa  - 

ter 

-  lil  -   y     slum 

■  bers, 

while 

the 

cy  -  press  guards  its 

rest — 

O'er        a      land 

of  i 

aeace-ful     plen 

-  ty, 

from 

the 

high  -  lands    to     the 

sea, 

t    J"     ! 

h 

IS      |s       I 

1 

J: 

J^ 

J.  J>  ;  vN 

1 

'(•)'    r     m 

#    . 

9 

4       9\    i   S 

S 

m 

^ 

2      • 

r 

f 

9   >         m        r        9 

W     d      v 

—*— 

0 0 lL 

f- 

— k — 

— y — - 

— j h U b1 — 

*          \ 

-t 

v~ 

— +t — ~h — 

1 

— 1 — 

— 1 V - — 

I" ■ 

« 

i              re        IS        ^ 

__J 

I 

I—       1 

_       J 

'| 

1 

1 

V          N        N 

1^             J 

J             J 

1 

\ 

/          I 

*»~^^"j 

0 

9            9 

r^ 

& 

72    . 

V  . 

i(U       J       J 

S   •        #        f        # 

*f   •   r 

«   •        m       r       r 

r         x         r 

0            m 

{P  • 

^      t,     i/      |         ^     MW 

1 

1     ^| 

9 
| 

j 

1 

1 

Ere   the  morn  -  ing  star   pro  -  claimed 

thy 

na 

tal 

day. 

Thou  shalt  smile  a  -  way  the     shad 

ow 

and 

the 

gloom. 

And  the     si  -  lent  tongue  their  high 

ho  ■ 

•  san 

nas 

sing. 

Lo,     thy   suu   -    ny   land   of     prom 

lse 

and 

thy 

lome. 

May   thy   ban  -  ner,  Al  -  ma    Ma 

ter, 

ev 

er 

wave. 

A    - 

men. 

111.    h  S1   ^    ' 

-#-      -0-       -0-  •        -#-      -*-      -•-       -<©- 

I 

-0- 

1 1 

R. 

T.  Vana 

i 

1 

i 

S            9 

9  " 

73 

&  •      j 

B    *   g= 

-f-          f-     £ r« 

T — »~ 

-f- 

-f^~ 

f? 

1=r~ 

~r^ 

\ 

— H^ 

1                   1/          ^          [y 

-u^- 

1 

± J 

9 — 

1 

1 — ' 

1    1 

1 ' 

1 

Table  of  Contents 

Page 

Meredith  College  (Frontispiece) 

Contents  3 

Rejoice,  O  Alma  Mater,  that  a  home 4 

Richard  Tilman  Vann 

Meredith  College  :  Retrospect  and  Prospect.    R.  T.  Vann 5 

Selections  from  the  History  of  Meredith  College.     O.  L.  String- 
field 9 

The  Value  of  the  Christian  College.    /.  M.  Mercer 10 

Charles  Edward  Brewer 

The  Needs  of  Meredith  College.     Robert  N.  Simms 18 

Outline  of  Building  Program.     Z.  M.  Caveness 16 

Report  of  W.  N.  Jones,  Chairman  Board  of  Trustees IT 

The  Oaks 

Then  and  Now — But  Mostly  Then.    Rosa  Paschal 21 

Meredith  Girls.     Livingston  Johnson , 27 

Meredith's  Contribution  to  Our  Denominational  Life.     Charles  E. 

Maddry  30 

Officers  of  the  Student  Government  Association 

College  Girls  as  Sunshine.     C.  M.  Heck 32 

Upholding  the  Colors.     Elsie  K.  Hunter 34 

From  Near  and  Far 36 

"For  Auld  Lang  Syne" 

Reminiscences.     Margaret   Shields   Everett 37 

Avenue  of  Trees 

From   the  Alumme.... 40 

Officers  of  the-Y.  W.  A. 

Meredith's   Foreign   Missionaries 51 

In  Memory  of  Elizabeth  Avery  Colton 60 

Blanche  Barrus  and  Dorothy  Gower.    Virginia  Edgerton  Simms  66 
The  Meredith's  Granddaughters'  Club 

Messages  from  Meredith's  Granddaughters  and  Daughters 68 

In  Training  for  Christian   Service 71 

Officers  of  the  B.  Y.  P.  U. 

Roll  Call  of  Student  Volunteers 73 

Meredith   Club.     Margaret  Henderson 74 

Editor's  Note 76 

Do  You  Know?   (Cover) 3 


Meredith  College  Bulletin 


Sonnet 

Rejoice,  O  Alma  Mater,  that  a  home 

Befitting  thy  true  greatness  they  prepare, 

A  spacious  dwelling  rising  dome  on  dome 

Where  thou  mayst  live  in  God's  pure  sun  and  air. 

Harsh  noises  of  the  city  shall  not  break 

Upon  thy  meditations  as  of  yore ; 

There  clear,  sweet  mating  songs  of  birds  shall  make 

Thee  living  symphonies  forever  more. 

But  in  thy  going  will  a  faint  regret 
Pain  thee,  for, thou  hast  lived  in  happiness 
Among  these  ancient  towers  where  ivies  creep, 
And  Memories  which  thou  canst  not  forget 
Are  here,  these  walls  to  hallow  and  to  bless. 
Thou,  Alma  Mater,  in  thy  joy  must  weep. 

Leone  Warrick,  1926. 
(By  permission  of  Oak  Leaves.) 


RICHARD   TILMAN   VANN,   D.D. 

President  Meredith   College,   1900-1901   through  1914-1915 

Author  of  "Alma  Mater." 


Meredith  College  Bulletin 


Meredith  College — Retrospect  and  Prospect 

R.  T.  Vann 
Secretary  Board  of  Education 

If  you  ask  about  the  beginning  of  Meredith,  no  one  can 
answer  you.  It  is  the  incarnation  of  an  idea.  Events  may  be 
dated  and  chronicled,  but  who  can  trace  the  genesis  of  an  idea  ? 
How  long  the  great  scheme  had  slumbered  in  some  far-seeing 
mind  we  may  not  say,  but,  as  far  as  the  record  shows,  it  first 
came  to  light  in  a  motion  before  the  Baptist  State  Convention 
offered  by  Thomas  Meredith  in  1835.  Defeated  then,  the 
motion  was  renewed  at  intervals  for  the  next  four  years,  but 
was  smothered  by  the  dread  apprehension  of  failure. 

BIRTH  AND  FEEBLE  INFANCY 

However,  though  smothered,  the  ideal  still  lived.  After 
slumbering  for  half  a  century,  it  awoke  again  during  the  ses- 
sion of  the  convention  in  Greensboro  in  1888,  when  Col.  L.  L. 
Polk  offered  a  resolution  proposing  the  appointment  of  a 
committee  to  consider  the  establishment  by  the  Baptists  of 
North  Carolina  of  a  high-grade  woman's  college.  At  the  fol- 
lowing session  in  Oxford  a  favorable  report  of  the  committee 
was  adopted,  and  a  board  of  twenty-five  trustees  was  appointed 
by  the  convention,  with  instructions  to  procure  a  suitable  site, 
raise  money  for  the  erection  of  buildings,  and  take  other  neces- 
sary steps  for  the  establishment  of  the  proposed  institution. 

Perhaps  no  other  enterprise  was  ever  inaugurated  by  North 
Carolina  Baptists  with  greater  unanimity  or  warmer  enthu- 
siasm. And  yet,  within  a  year,  the  flame  began  to  flicker; 
within  two  years  it  was  burning  low;  within  three  it  was 
invisible,  and  in  four  the  ashes  were  cold.  x\t  first  the  trustees 
met  in  goodly  numbers  and  with  high  hopes,  and  named  the 
unborn   child.     But   among   them,   too,   the  enthusiasm   waned 


6  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

all  too  plainly,  for  the  movement  did  not  seem  to  move.  Agent 
after  agent  was  appointed — some  half  a  dozen  in  all — and  all 
good  men,  and  they  toiled  hard  on  the  job,  but  they  raised 
scarcely  enough  money  to  pay  their  modest  salaries.  The 
trustees  began  to  drop  out  by  twos  and  threes,  so  that  within 
the  next  ten  years  only  five  or  six  of  the  original  number  were 
left.  But  those  few  refused  to  surrender,  supplied  the  vacan- 
cies in  their  ranks,  and  kept  up  the  struggle,  till  at  last,  as  if 
by  chance,  they  secured  for  financial  agent  that  singular 
genius,  O.  L.  Stringfield.  Whatever  else  he  may  have  lacked, 
he  had  a  great  heart,  a  far  vision,  a  mighty  faith,  and  bound- 
less enthusiasm.  While  others  fainted,  Stringfield  stood  strong; 
when  they  could  see  nothing,  he  literally  saw  the  invisible. 
He  spoke  of  the  coming  college  with  the  solemn  assurance  of  a 
prophet.  He  "roamed  at  large"  among  the  people  in  town  and 
country  as  the  evangelist  of  woman's  education  until  he  had 
awakened  the  interest  of  the  Baptist  masses  and  inspired  them 
with  something  of  his  own  enthusiasm.  He  was  not  particu- 
larly gifted  in  raising  large  sums  from  a  few,  but,  what  was 
far  better,  he  did  secure  small  gifts  from  the  many.  So  that 
before  its  opening  the  proposed  college  was  probably  the  best 
advertised  educational  institution  that  ever  opened  in  North 
Carolina. 

KEMABKABLE   GKOWTH 

The  present  site  had  been  selected,  a  contract  for  the  main 
building  signed,  and  work  on  it  had  begun  by  1896.  But  the 
walls  rose  slowly,  slowly,  so  slowly  that  some  mocked,  as  did 
Tobiah  and  his  fellows  at  the  humble  beginning  of  Nehemiah's 
wall  around  Jerusalem.  So  dim  the  outlook  seemed  to  some 
that  a  college  president  in  the  city  told  a  lady-friend  of  the 
enterprise,  "Even  if  you  ever  get  your  house  built  it  will  be 
ten  years  before  you  can  enroll  fifty  students."  But  brick  by 
brick  the  building  grew,  until  on  the  27th  of  September,  1899, 
it  opened  its  doors  to  students.  And  it  opened  with  this  unique 
experience:    So  many  students  had  applied  for  admission  that 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  7 

before  a  single  lesson  was  given,  the  trustees  were  compelled 
to  buy  the  Adams  building  to  house  the  overflow;  and  by  the 
end  of  the  first  session  the  institution  had  enrolled  more  than 
four  times  the  number  which  that  college  president  had 
allotted  it  in  ten  years. 

Since  that  auspicious  day,  though  starting  ill-equipped  and 
carrying  a  debt  of  $37,000,  the  institution  has  steadily  grown, 
enlarging  its  enrollment  every  year,  save  the  one  in  which  the 
World  War  opened,  and  those  other  years  when  the  limit  of 
dormitory  space  forbade  enlargement,  an  experience  which  the 
last  few  years  have  seen  continuously  repeated.  And  this,  not- 
withstanding the  loss  of  students  from  cutting  out  four  depart- 
ments— namely,  Business,  Elocution,  Primary,  and  High 
School.  Instead  of  three  units,  judged  by  present  values, 
required  for  entrance  the  first  year,  she  now  requires  the  full 
fifteen  standard  units;  instead  of  the  few  promiscuous  books 
given  by  generous  friends,  she  is  able  to  show  today  an  admir- 
ably selected  library  of  over  eleven  thousand  volumes;  instead 
of  a  pitiable  laboratory,  whose  physical  apparatus  was  mostly 
hand-made,  she  now  has  an  equipment  probably  unsurpassed 
by  that  of  any  woman's  college  in  the  South ;  and  as  to  students 
she  has  become  the  antitype  of  the  classic  dame  who  lived  in  a 
shoe. 

THE  BEST  YET  TO  BE 

So  much  for  history,  where  one  can  walk  easily  because  the 
way  has  been  blazed;  but  in  the  realm  of  prophecy,  he  may 
not  venture  far.  We  all,  however,  have  noted  with  joyous 
pride  that  the  grand  old  mother  is  about  to  change  shoes  and 
thus  provide  ample  room  for  her  growing  family.  One  also 
may  forecast  with  reasonable  assurance,  first,  that  she  will 
continue  to  shape  her  course  by  the  one  supreme  purpose  of 
her  founders.  This  purpose  contemplated  recognition  and 
acceptance  of  the  basic  faith  of  our  fathers;  generation  of  an 
evangelical  atmosphere ;  fostering  a  spirit  of  world-wide  service, 
and  giving  the  best  all-round  training  for  such  service.     Be 


8  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

sure  her  policies  will  ever  be  directed  toward  the  accomplish- 
ment of  these  ends. 

And,  second,  her  supporters  will  continuously  enlarge  her 
power  to  serve,  to  meet  the  ever-growing  demands  of  an  ever- 
enlarging  constituency. 

It  may  be  that  in  time  a  limit  will  be  set  to  her  enrollment 
and  that  the  lower  classmen  will  be  distributed  among  junior 
colleges  wisely  located.  But,  even  so,  the  work  of  these  will 
head  up  in  her  and  towards  her;  their  students  will  look  for 
the   finishing   touch    and    the   last   word. 

SENTIMENT 

A  now,  a  personal  sentiment.  In  selecting  names  for  the 
handsome  buildings  in  which  the  new  Meredith  is  to  live,  I 
hope  that  the  proper  authorities  will  remember  her  first  large 
benefactors — Mrs.  Virginia  Yancey  Swepson,  Hon.  W.  T. 
Faircloth,  and  Mr.  Dennis  Simmons.  In  the  days  of  her 
struggle  and  poverty  these  large-hearted  and  far-sighted  friends 
came  to  her  aid,  each  with  a  bequest  of  ten  or  twelve  thousand 
dollars;  and  in  the  days  of  her  prosperity  I  hope  she  will  per- 
petuate their  honored  names. 

Permit  also  the  mention  of  another  name  which  I  am  sure 
will  not  be  considered  invidious  among  his  fellow-trustees.  Eor 
some  thirty-five  years,  beginning  in  the  days  of  shadow,  when 
the  hearts  of  most  of  his  fellows  grew  faint,  this  one  man  has 
held  on,  giving  to  the  college  always  unstinted  and  unselfish 
service  and  unmeasured  devotion;  and  in  the  starting  of  this 
new  and  larger  Meredith  he  has  been  spared  "to  see  of  the 
travail  of  his  soul."  It  would  be  a  beautiful  thing  for  the 
college  to  show  before  he  dies  some  worthy  recognition  of 
Wesley  jN".  Jones. 


Meredith    College   Bulletin  9 

Selections  From  "The  History  of  Meredith 

College" 

By  0.  L.  Stringfield 
1'he  First  Financial  Agent  of  Meredith  College 

MY    MESSAGE 

No,  indeed,  I  did  not  ask  for  money!  It  was  given  me  as  I 
went  on.  Exactly  what  I  said  at  the  close  of  my  speeches  was : 
"I  did  not  come  here  to  get  your  money;  I  came  here  for  lots 
more  than  money.  I  came  here  for  YOU.  I  do  not  want  your 
money  if  we  cannot  have  YOU.  I  want  to  know  if  you  want 
the  people  of  North  Carolina  to  build  a  great  school  for  our 
young  women  like  we  have  for  our  young  men  at  Wake  Forest. 
That  is  what  I  want  to  know.  Tell  me,  men  and  women,  by 
standing  this  minute !" 

WHY  WE  WENT  FORWARD 

Cotton  was  selling  for  four  to  five  cents  a  pound — about  the 
cost  of  production — and  the  talk  of  raising  a  hundred  thousand 
dollars  did  not  fit  well  together.  Things  were  black  as  midnight 
on  the  earth,  but  it  was  all  light  above  the  clouds,  God's 
throne!     So  there  was  nothing  for  us  to  do  but  go  forward. 

HOW  TO  GET  MONEY 

There  are  three  ways  to  get  money:  One  way  is  the  tax 
way — pay  your  taxes  or  we'll  sell  your  land.  That  is  one 
way  to  get  money.  Another  way  is  at  the  point  of  a  pistol. 
Your  money  or  your  life!  The  greatest  and  most  joyous  way 
is  to  untie  the  string  that  a  man  has  around  his  pocketbook, 
so  that  he  just  loves  to  give  you  money  and  thanks  you  for 
accepting  it.  Loosing  a  man's  grip  on  his  money  is  not  a  baby 
job.     Try  it  some  time. 


10  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

How  I  love  to  think  of  the  poor  women  who  knit  socks  and 
sold  eggs  to  get  ten  dollars  to  help  build  Meredith  College, 
saying :  "I  didn't  have  any  chance  for  learning.  I  want  others 
to  go  there." 

LED  BY  THE  SPIKIT 

God  attends  to  his  own  business,  in  His  own  way.  I  had  to 
believe  that  before  I  could  even  undertake  this  work.  I  had 
to  believe  every  word  of  the  New  Testament  and  understand 
that  it  was  His  love-letter  to  me  before  I  could  move  an  inch. 
"I  will  instruct  you  and  teach  you  the  way  I  would  have  you 
go.  I  will  guide  you  with  Mine  eye."  I  had  tried  that  out 
when  I  was  in  the  middle  of  the  Yadkin  River  one  dark  night. 
So  I  counted  on  Him  for  guidance. 

THE  WOMEN'S  PRAYER 

After  the  wave  of  public  sentiment  for  the  education  of  our 
young  women  started,  the  women  over  the  State,  led  by  Miss 
Fannie  Heck,  of  blessed  memory,  began  to  pray  for  the  com- 
pletion of  Meredith  College.  Mothers  who  could  scarcely  read 
were  praying  that  their  daughters  might  be  given  a  chance 
like  we  were  giving  our  young  men  at  Wake  Forest  College — a 
thing  we  were  very  careful  to  do  and  have  done  from  the  day 
Meredith  opened  until  this  day — twenty-five  years  later.  We 
never  could  go  back  on  that  prayer.  By  His  help,  we  never  will ! 

The  Value  of  the  Christian  College 

I.  M.  Mercer 

President  Baptist  State  Convention 

Our  conception  of  Christian  education  has  been  a  gradual 
development.  Originally  we  thought  of  Christian  education 
as  an  education  gained  under  Christian  influences;  that  is,  an 
education  in  a  community  where  the  principles  and  spirit  of 
Christianity  prevailed  and  where  Christian  teachers  did  the 


DR.  CHARLES  E.  BREWER 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  11 

work.  Later  there  was  added  to  this  conception  the  idea  that 
Christianity's  Book,  the  Bible,  should  form  a  part  of  the  course 
of  study.  And  so  the  Bible,  in  its  history  and  great  funda- 
mental truths,  was  added  to  the  curriculum.  This  did  not 
mean  that  the  study  of  the  Bible  was  compulsory,  but  that  a 
thorough  course  in  the  Bible  was  recognized  as  a  legitimate 
study,  and  credit  for  the  same  was  given  toward  degrees  as 
for  any  other  study.  In  recent  years  it  has  also  been  realized 
that  Christian  education  should  have  as  a  part  of  its  avowed 
purpose  the  preparation  of  young  people  for  active,  intelligent, 
personal  service  in  their  own  churches  when  they  returned  to 
their  homes.  And  so  today  Christian  education,  broadly  speak- 
ing, includes  the  Christian  atmosphere,  the  Word  of  God  as  a 
recognized  course  of  study,  and  the  intelligent  training  of 
young  men  and  women  to  be  Christians  worthwhile  in  the 
building  -of  God's  cause  in  this  world. 

The  first  essential  value  of  the  Christian  college  is  that  it 
gives  all  that  the  secular  college  gives,  plus  the  creating  and 
building  of  moral  and  spiritual  character.  The  secular  school 
can  develop  the  physical  powers  and  the  mental  powers.  It 
may  also  touch  the  ethical  or  moral  nature;  that  is,  the  proper 
relations  of  man  to  man.  But  even  when  it  comes  into  this 
latter  realm  it  is  indebted  to  Christianity  for  what  it  teaches. 
But  the  secular  school  can  go  no  farther  than  this.  It  cannot 
enter  into  the  making  of  the  spiritual  character  and  life  of  the 
student;  it  cannot  discuss  his  relation  to  God  and  eternity, 
the  great  verities  of  every  man's  life;  it  cannot  undertake  to 
teach  him  how  to  adjust  his  life  to  God  and  His  program  and 
His  purposes.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Christian  college  can 
and  does  touch  and  build  the  whole  nature,  the  body,  the  mind, 
and  the  soul.  It  deliberately  undertakes  to  create  in  the  stu- 
dent his  spiritual  life;  that  is,  to  bring  the  student  into  right 
personal  relations  with  God,  and  that  through  Jesus  Christ, 
the  Son  of  God.  Because  of  this  function  we  see  our  Christian 
high  schools  and  colleges  in  the  course  of  each  session  deliber- 
ately holding  special   evangelistic   services  for   their   students. 


12  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

The  whole  life  of  the  school  for  the  time  being  is  so  arranged 
that  the  entire  emphasis  can  be  put  upon  these  meetings,  and 
every  student  is  led  to  realize  that,  above  all  things,  his  college 
is  seeking  to  bring  him  into  the  true  relation  of  his  soul  to 
God.  How  many  a  man,  active  and  happy  today  in  the  King- 
dom of  God,  can  look  back  and  realize  that  it  was  his  Christian 
Alma  Mater  that  brought  about  his  salvation  and  led  him  to 
become  a  child  of  God.  'No  secular  school  dares  to  undertake 
such  a  work  as  this  for  its  students;  it  recognizes  that  this  is 
beyond  its  sphere,  and  it  does  not  undertake  to  point  its  stu- 
dents to  the  Lamb  of  God. 

The  second  great  service  of  the  Christian  college  is  that, 
while  it  continues  to  give  all  that  the  secular  school  gives,  it 
also  puts  before  its  students  the  highest  and  noblest  ideals  and 
purposes  of  life.  The  secular  college  holds  before  its  students 
two  ideas:  First,  that  of  making  a  living;  second,  that  of 
becoming  a  true  citizen  of  the  commonwealth,  a  law-abiding, 
intelligent,  and  faithful  member  of  society.  But  it  can  look 
no  higher  than  this.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Christian  college 
puts  before  its  students  the  highest  and  noblest  conceptions  of 
life  that  the  world  has  ever  known.  The  Christian  college 
teaches  and  prepares  its  students  not  only  to  make  a  living,  but 
also  to  make  a  life.  It  holds  before  them  the  ideals  of  the 
brotherhood  of  men,  of  the  life  of  service  to  God  and  fellow- 
man,  of  the  life  of  sacrifice  for  the  good  and  salvation  of  others. 
It  holds  before  its  students  Jesus  Christ  as  the  great  model  and 
ideal  Man  and  Worker,  and  bids  them  walk  in  His  footsteps. 
It  gives  the  vision  of  a  life  of  sanity,  of  service,  of  good-will 
toward  men,  of  fellowship  with  the  Infinite,  and,  therefore,  the 
vision  of  a  life  filled  with  true  success  and  satisfying,  abiding 
peace  of  heart. 

Because  of  these  superior  and  priceless  values,  no  other  col- 
lege can  truly  compare  with  the  Christian  college  in  what  it 
offers  to  young  men  and  young  women. 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  13 


The  Needs  of  Meredith  College 

By  Robert  ~N.  Simms 
Trustee  of  Meredith  College 

These  words  may  cause  surprise  to  some.  They  may  say, 
"I  thought  Meredith  had  a  million  dollars  and  all  its  needs 
were  supplied."  Not  so.  It  has  not  a  million  dollars  now 
available,  nor  are  its  needs  supplied.  Of  course,  its  endowment 
is  not  available  for  building  purposes.  That  fund  must  be 
sacredly  kept  to  help  make  available  the  needed  funds  to  supply 
a  teaching  force.  The  Baptist  State  Convention  authorized 
the  issuance  of  $750,000  of  bonds  in  its  name  as  part  of  the 
needed  building  fund.  The  sale  of  these  bonds,  after  payment 
of  the  costs  of  the  campaign  and  other  efforts  to  sell  them,  and 
after  adding  the  interest  which  has  accrued  on  the  proceeds, 
will  net  us  $720,291.72.  The  real  estate  owned  by  the  college 
at  the  old  site,  it  is  estimated,  will  bring  us  about  $250,000. 
Thus  we  hope  to  have  available  from  all  sources  $970,291.72. 

But  what  are  we  required  to  do  with  this?  It  was  desired 
to  erect  buildings  that  would  cost  at  least  a  million  dollars. 
When  those  that  were  needed  were  planned  the  price  was  more 
than  double  that  sum.  All  were  eliminated  save  only  four 
dormitories,  a  building  for  dining  room  and  kitchen  purposes, 
and  a  combined  administration  and  library  building.  These 
six  structures  were  denuded  of  all  that  was  not  essential,  and 
still  the  best  contract  price  we  could  get  for  their  erection  was 
$910,100.  These  buildings  are  being  constructed  in  permanent, 
fireproof  form.  It  was,  of  course,  necessary  that  we  should 
also  construct  three  temporary  structures  to  furnish  music 
rooms  and  lecture  rooms  and  laboratories  and  an  assembly  hall. 
These  are  being  builded  of  wood  in  the  plainest  possible  way. 
They  will  cost  us  at  least  $82,500.  There  are  always  "extras" 
that  occur  in  every  building  enterprise.  These  have  accumu- 
lated to  the  extent  of  approximately  $30,000.     The  architect's 


14  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

fees  are  $50,000.  The  cost  of  putting  in  the  water  and  sewer- 
age systems  will  be  more  than  $30,000.  And  then  we  shall 
have  to  erect  a  storage  tank  and  tower.  The  cost  of  removing 
a  high-tension  power  line  from  across  the  property  and  where 
the  buildings  are  located  was  $11,824.  The  cost  of  building  a 
spur  railroad  track  into  the  property,  not  only  for  building 
purposes,  but  for  permanent  use,  was  approximately  $14,000. 
The  total  of  these  items  of  expenditure  is  $1,128,424.  These 
are  the  figures  furnished  by  the  Chairman  of  the  Building 
Committee. 

In  addition  to  these  things  there  are  others  we  are  bound  to 
have  to  make  the  buildings  usable.  We  must  have  furniture 
for  the  rooms,  which  will  cost  at  least  $30,000.  We  must  have 
equipment  for  the  dining  room  and  kitchen  that  will  cost  at 
least  $5,000.  We  must  have  equipment  for  the  laboratories  of 
the  departments  of  physics  and  biology  and  chemistry  at  a 
cost  of  not  less  than  $5,000.  We  must  have  equipment  for  the 
library  which  cannot  be  acquired  and  installed  for  less  than 
$8,000.  This  is  $48,000  more  to  fit  the  buildings  for  occupancy, 
or  a  total  of  $1,176,424  we  shall  have  to  have. 

This  is  in  excess  of  $970,291.72  of  available  assets  by 
$206,132.28. 

There  are  other  things  we  ought  to  have.  We  need  an  organ 
that  would  cost  $10,000.  We  need  a  fence  that  would  cost 
$15,000.  We  need  to  expend  at  least  $10,000  in  beautifying 
the  grounds. 

More  than  these,  we  need  the  four  other  fireproof  structures 
that  are  a  part  of  the  permanent  plan  for  our  buildings.  These 
are  called  "head-houses."  They  would  cost  about  $35,000  each, 
or  $140,000  for  the  four.  They  would  furnish  rooms  for  lec- 
tures and  recitations,  for  laboratories,  for  student  activities,  for 
parlors,  rooms  for  the  members  of  the  Faculty,  and  other  much- 
needed  space. 

We  ought  to  have  a  thoroughly  equipped  kitchen  and  dining 
room  for  our  club,  which  would  cost  about  $40,000.  The  club 
has  been  of  great  assistance  to 'us  at  Meredith  and  has  made  it 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  15 

possible  for  many  students  to  attend  the  college  who  otherwise 
would  have  found  it  impossible  to  come.  We,  of  course,  have  a 
place  for  the  club  in  the  dining  room  building  being  constructed, 
but  it  is  in  the  basement  and  not  what  we  would  desire,  and 
would  provide  for  the  purpose  if  only  we  had  the  means. 

We  ought  to  have  an  infirmary  in  a  separate  building  instead 
of  placing  it  in  the  attic  of  a  dormitory,  as  we  are  obliged  tem- 
porarily to  do.   This  would  cost  approximately  $40,000. 

We  ought  to  have  a  gymnasium  and  a  swimming  pool.  We 
have  the  natural  site  on  our  premises  for  an  ideal  lake  or  pool. 

Some  day  we  shall  have  to  have  either  individual  residences 
or  apartment  houses  for  the  married  members  of  our  Faculty. 
There  are  none  near  enough  to  be  available  for  the  purpose. 
We  need  immediately  a  home  for  the  President. 

Other  items  could  be  mentioned,  but  surely  here  are  enumer- 
ated enough  to  show  that  the  needs  of  Meredith  College  have 
not  been  supplied.  More  than  ever  in  its  history  it  needs  the 
love  and  prayers  and  loyalty  of  its  constituency.  More  than 
ever  in  its  life  it  craves  the  privilege  of  keeping  hold  upon  the 
heartstrings  of  the  great  Baptist  folk  of  North  Carolina.  If 
it  can  but  hold  the  heartstrings  it  has  no  fear  of  unreleased 
purse  strings.  It  covets  large  gifts  from  worthy  sources  to  make 
possible  the  erection  of  these  sorely  needed  structures  with 
dispatch.  Surely,  no  finer  place  can  be  found  for  men  and 
women  of  means  to  place  memorial  structures  than  here,  where 
the  Christian  womanhood  of  North  Carolina  is  to  be  safely 
taught.  Men  of  moderate  fortunes  could  erect  these  structures 
and  build  for  themselves  or  their  loved  ones  monuments  more 
enduring  than  metal  or  stone.  Churches,  missionary  societies, 
Sunday  school  classes,  associations  could  furnish  parts  of  the 
needed  equipment,  and  serve  not  only  their  day  and  generation, 
but  also  those  to  come  after  them.  Many  individuals  of  modest 
means  can  make  gifts  that  in  the  aggregate  will  accumulate  a 
great  fund. 

And  all  who  love  the  college  can  pray  for  it.  All  who  love 
it  believe  in  the  power  of  prayer.     Conceived  by  men  who  loved 


16  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

the  Kingdom  of  Christ,  it  was  born  in  answer  to  prayer.  It 
Avas  builded  by  faith  and  sacrifice  on  the  part  of  many.  It  has 
staunchly  adhered  to  the  faith  of  the  fathers,  once  for  all  deliv- 
ered to  saints  of  old  by  divine  revelation  and  inspiration.  It 
has  muzzled  no  truth;  neither  has  it  permitted  error  or  specu- 
lation to  masquerade  in  the  guise  of  established  truth.  It  stands 
for  light.  "Lux"  is  engraven  upon  its  seal.  It  would  carry 
the  torch  committed  to  loving  hands  by  Him  who  is  the  Light 
of  the  World. 

It  is  a  front-rank  college,  classified  by  the  Association  of 
Southern  Colleges  in  the  A  grade.  It  is  set  in  the  heart  of  the 
most  progressive  Southern  State,  located  at  its  capital.  It  has 
a  commanding  physical  site.  It  has  a  faculty  of  fifty  mem- 
bers. It  has  an  enrollment  of  nearly  five  hundred  students, 
and  can  have  a  thousand  when  it  can  give  them  room.  It  means 
more  to  North  Carolina  than  countless  factories  and  commercial 
enterprises.  It  means  more  to  Christendom  than  any  school 
for  men.  It  means  more  for  civilization  than  aught  else  but 
like  institutions  and  the  preaching  of  the  Word.  It  has  had 
and  must  have  the  favor  of  Almighty  God,  Who  has  hallowed 
its  days.    Let  those  who  love  His  cause  hearken  to  its  appeal. 

Outline  of  Buildiug  Program 

Z.  M.  Caveness 
Chairman,  Building  Committee 

New  Meredith  consists  of  nine  buildings  at  present,  six  of 
which  are  fireproof,  permanent  buildings;  three  are  temporary 
wooden  buildings. 

The  six  fireproof  buildings  form  a  quadrangle,  the  sides  of 
which  are  enclosed  with  four  dormitories,  two  on  either  side, 
which  are  three  stories  in  height.  The  four  will  accommodate 
five  hundred  girls.  The  dormitories  are  arranged  for  four 
girls  to  a  suite,  which  consists  of  two  rooms  with  a  connecting 
bath.     In  the  rear  of  the  quadrangle  is  located  a  dining  hall 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  17 

and  kitchen  building.  In  front  is  located  a  library  and  ad- 
ministration building,  three  stories  in  height.  The  first  floor 
is  given  over  to  administration,  the  second  to  the  library,  the 
third  to  literary  society  halls. 

The  grand  court  enclosed  by  this  quadrangle  is  285  feet  wide 
and  570  feet  long.  The  buildings  are  connected  by  corridors, 
making  it  possible  for  the  girls  to  go  from  any  given  point  to 
another  point  of  these  buildings  without  being  exposed  to  the 
weather. 

Around  this  quadrangle  it  is  planned  to  build  in  the  future 
other  dormitories  and  science  buildings  which  will,  when  com- 
pleted, accommodate  one  thousand  girls.  The  central  group 
forming  the  quadrangle  will  thus  be  the  center  of  the  greater 
Meredith  when  completed. 

Just  east  of  this  quadrangle  the  temporary  buildings  are 
being  erected.  The  first  building  is  the  auditorium,  which 
seats  one  thousand  and  which  has  connected  with  it  music 
studios  and  practice  rooms.  The  second  building  is  for  science; 
the  third  for  class  and  lecture  rooms. 

All  of  these  temporary  structures  are  modern,  in  that  they 
have  heat,  lights  and  water,  and  will  be  as  comfortable  as  if 
they  were  fireproof. 

Report  of  W.  N.  Jones,  Chairman  of  Board 
of  Trustees,  Commencement,  1925 

OUK  OBLIGATIONS  MET 

This  college  commenced  its  career  in  1899,  and  has  been  in 
existence  as  an  educational  institution  since  that  time.  I  have 
been  called  upon,  as  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  to 
make  a  statement  at  college  commencements  each  year  since 
the  college  started.  It  is  interesting  to  some  of  us  to  look  back 
now  and  see  ,how  the  college  has  come  along  its  way  to  the 
present  time.  We  cannot,  however,  dwell  upon  that  now. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  each  succeeding  year  the  college  has  been 
2 


18  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

able  to  report  progress.  This  year  is  no  exception  to  the  years 
that  have  gone  before.  The  college  has,  from  its  regular 
receipts,  this  year,  as  in  former  years,  paid  current  expenses. 
We  owe  nothing  on  that  account.  We  are  grateful  for  the 
past,  we  are  hopeful  for  the  future,  and  we  believe  it  will 
bring  the  college  great  things. 

In  these  later  years  the  college  plant  has  not  been  able  to 
accommodate  the  patronage  of  the  college;  hence,  there  could 
not  be  any  marked  increase  in  attendance.  The  management 
here  has  been  doing  the  best  it  could  to  take  care  of  the  board- 
ing patronage  on  these  premises  and  near-by  residences.  These 
accommodations  have  been  exhausted  for  some  time,  and  the 
college  has  had  to  look  elsewhere  for  accommodations  for  its 
patronage.  To  do  this,  as  you  know,  the  college  has  obtained 
a  new  site  on  the  Hillsboro  Road,  about  three  miles  west  of 
here,  and  on  this  site  it  is  now  having  erected  buildings  to 
accommodate  500  boarding  students  and  the  faculty  of  the 
college.  This  site  is  a  beautiful  one,  and  the  buildings  will  be 
imposing  and  attractive.  There  are  six  concrete  buildings  in 
the  course  of  construction,  and  three  wooden  ones  which  are 
temporary  until  the  college  can  do  better.  The  board  of 
trustees  did  not  see  its  way  to  do  otherwise  than  to  erect  these 
temporary  buildings. 

NEEDS  OF  THE  COLLEGE 

It  is  going  to  cost  considerable  money  to  pay  for  the  site,  the 
buildings,  and  the  equipment  necessary  for  them  when  the 
college  moves  from  its  present  site.  I  should  say  they  will 
cost  at  least  $1,250,000.  By  authority  of  the  Baptist  State 
Convention  of  North  Carolina,  the  college  has  given  an  encum- 
brance of  $750,000  on  all  of  its  property,  except  the  endowment 
funds,  amounting  to  $415,300,  and  except  also  about  1,300 
acres  of  land  in  Wake  and  Chatham  counties.  These  were  not 
included  in  the  encumbrance,  but  the  property  on  this  square 
and  two  pieces  on  the  two  squares  just  east  of  this  square  are 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  19 

in  the  deed  of  trust,  and  also  the  new  site  with  the  buildings 
and  improvements  which  are  now  being  put  upon  that  site. 
The  Baptist  State  Convention  has  also  authorized  its  officers 
to  endorse  in  its  name  these  bonds.  These  bonds  are  coupon 
bonds,  which  run  for  fifteen  years  from  January  1,  1924. 
Fifty  thousand  dollars  of  the  principal  of  these  bonds  is  to 
be  paid  each  year  and  the  interest  on  the  whole  by  the  conven- 
tion. The  $50,000  falling  due  January  1,  1925,  and  the  interest 
on  all  the  bonds  to  that  date  has  been  paid,  and  this  will  con- 
tinue yearly  until  all  the  bonds  are  paid.  All  these  bonds  have 
been  sold,  and  the  proceeds  are  now  being  spent  in  the  erection 
of  the  buildings  on  the  new  site  and  some  other  necessary 
expenses,  such  as  the  spur  track  from  Hillsboro  Road  to  the 
college  buildings.  In  addition  to  the  funds  realized  from  the 
sale  of  these  bonds,  the  college  hopes  to  realize  some  $250,000 
from  the  sale  of  the  land  and  buildings  on  this  square,  this  to 
be  used  in  paying  for  the  new  plant.  We  should  then  lack,  I 
should  say,  $250,000  to  pay  for  the  site,  the  buildings,  and  the 
equipment. 

DIVINE  HELP  NEEDED 

So,  you  see,  the  college  has  a  large  task  before  it  to  get  the 
new  plant  finished  and  ready  for  occupancy;  but,  notwith- 
standing the  largeness  of  the  task,  the  denomination  and  the 
friends  of  the  college  can  accomplish  it  with  unity  and  deter- 
mination. Our  people  can  do  this  thing  if  we  let  them  know 
the  situation  and  the  necessity  the  college  has  in  hand.  We 
should  know  that  we  must  have  divine  help  to  accomplish  the 
task.  I  mention  divine  help  because  I  think  it  should  be  men- 
tioned and  not  forgotten.  I  have  sometimes  felt  that  in  carry- 
ing forward  the  affairs  of  the  Kingdom  we  do  not  look  for 
divine  help  as  much  as  we  should.  In  cataloguing  the  names 
of  those  from  whom  we  expect  to  raise  money  for  such  enter- 
prises as  the  college  now  has  in  hand,  we  fail  to  catalogue 
divine  help  first,  as  we  should  do.  We  learn  from  the  Scrip- 
tures that  the  Lord  watches  over  his  people  with  a  very  tender 


20  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

solicitude.  We  are  living  in  rather  a  materialistic  age;  but  I 
believe  it  is  still  true,  notwithstanding  the  confused  voices  of 
some,  that  the  spiritual  and  intangible  touches  and  moves  the 
material  and  the  tangible.  Faith  still  removes  mountains.  The 
unseen  finger — the  divine  finger — touches  the  hearts  of  men 
and  moves  them.  From  what  I  have  learned  in  the  history  of 
this  college,  I  should  say  we  should  pay  attention  in  this  effort 
we  are  now  making  to  the  spiritual  and  intangible.  We  can  get 
the  help  of  men  and  women  better  in  this  way  than  in  any 
other. 

Meredith  has  fairly  earned  its  right  to  larger  facilities. 
What  a  great  and  noble  service  it  has  rendered  since  it  com- 
menced work  in  1899 !  May  I  not  say  that  no  college  in  this 
section  has  a  finer  record  for  scholarship  and  for  high  and 
noble  service  than  Meredith?  The  value  of  having  an  insti- 
tution like  Meredith  in  which  to  educate  our  young  women 
cannot  be  estimated.  The  college  needs  these  larger  facilities 
we  are  now  seeking;  the  State  needs  them;  the  Kingdom  of 
God  needs  them.  I  believe  that  our  people  will  furnish  them 
when  the  matter  is  fully  presented  to  them,  and  that  they  will 
go  to  the  task  gladly. 

EXTENT  OF  COLLEGE  PKOPEETY 

In  closing  this  statement,  perhaps  it  will  be  well  to  state 
what  the  college  has  and  what  has  come  to  it  during  these 
years:  The  college  owns  this  square  of  four  acres  with  build- 
ings on  same  and  two  pieces  of  property  on  adjoining  squares 
worth  at  least  $250,000.  We  have  been  offered  this  for  it. 
The  college  owns  its  equipment^  worth,  I  should  say,  $25,000. 
The  college  owns  1,300  acres  of  farming  land  in  Wake  and 
Chatham  counties,  given  by  friends  of  the  college,  worth  about 
$35,000.  The  college  owns  the  new  site  and  the  improvements 
on  it,  worth  at  this  time  $1,000,000,  and  which  when  completed 
will  be  worth  at  least  $1,300,000.  The  site  cost  us  $60,000.  It 
is  now  worth,  so  real  estate  men  tell  us,  $200,000.    The  college 


THE  OAKS— New  Site 


(Permission    of    Oak   Leaves) 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  21 

has  an  endowment  of  $415,300.  The  foregoing  amounts  aggre- 
gate the  sum  of  $1,725,300.  The  Baptist  State  Convention  of 
North  Carolina  has  assumed  the  payment  of  the  bonds  for 
$750,000  and  has  paid  the  yearly  installment  of  $50,000,  leaving 
$700,000  to  be  paid  in  fourteen  yearly  installments  of  $50,000 
each  and  the  interest  accruing  on  them  until  they  are  paid  in 
full.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  convention  will  keep  its  con- 
tract. I  know  some  of  our  brethren  are  disposed  to  be  a  little 
restive  on  account  of  the  large  debt  assumed  by  the  convention 
in  the  issuance  of  the  bonds  I  have  mentioned.  They  are 
thinking  about  other  things.  We  cannot  discuss  that  now. 
Our  honor  as  a  denomination  is  at  stake.  The  only  wise  thing 
to  do  now  is  to  bend  our  energies  to  meet  the  obligation  we 
have  deliberately  assumed. 

I  take  pleasure,  on  behalf  of  the  trustees,  in  thanking  the 
faculty  of  the  college  for  their  efficient  and  faithful  service 
during  this  school  year.  They  deserve  the  plaudit,  "Well 
done."  We  also  desire  to  commend  the  work  of  the  student 
body.  Students  generally  are  not  always  so  good  as  they  might 
be,  but  our  students,  I  am  sure,  have  been  very  good,  and, 
along  with  the  faculty,  I  wish  them,  one  and  all,  a  pleasant 
and  happy  vacation.  As  they  go  from  us  I  can  say  to  them 
cheerily,  "Hail  and  farewell!"     We  hope  we  shall  meet  again. 


Then  and  Now— But  Mostly  Then 

Rosa  Paschal 
Dean,  Greenville  Woman's  College  (8.  C.) 

We  have  from  the  very  beginning  expected  great  things  of 
our  college,  which,  no  doubt,  accounts  in  some  measure  for  her 
gratifying  growth  and  development.  Even  as  an  infant  she 
might  be  described  with  the  adjectives  "lusty"  and  "growing." 
The  founders  had  no  thought  of  "ailing"  or  "weakling"  ever 
being  descriptive  of  her.     "Advantages  for  our  Baptist  girls 


22  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

equivalent  to  those  of  their  brothers  at  Wake  Forest"  was  heard 
on  all  sides.  If  this  did  not  mean  the  acme  of  ideals,  at  least 
we  as  students  thought  that  was  what  was  meant.  Our  first 
trustees  planned  a  building  which  they  thought  would  be  ade- 
quate for  the  first  few  years  at  least.  But  some  weeks  before 
the  opening  date  it  was  realized  that  more  students  wanted  to 
come  than  could  be  accommodated  in  the  Main  Building.  So 
East  Building  was  bought  and  equipped  as  a  dormitory.  Ever 
since  they  have  been  finding  that  more  space  must  be  provided — 
even  as  in  the  beginning. 

STAND  AKDS 

Good  standards,  from  the  point  of  view  of  standards  of  1899, 
were  established  from  the  beginning.  In  this  respect  Meredith 
has  no  past  but  what  is  highly  honorable.  However,  in  those  days 
we  heard  little  about  standards  except  that  we  must  have  a 
high-grade  college.  The  measuring  of  high  school  work  was  in 
its  infancy;  indeed,  the  unit  was  not  defined  by  the  Carnegie 
Foundation  until  1906,  although  the  North  Central  Associa- 
tion had  been  using  the  term  since  1902.  The  Southern  Asso- 
ciation of  College  Women  was  not  organized  until  1903.  While 
the  Southern  Association  of  Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools 
was  organized  in  1895,  its  acquaintance  was  quite  limited. 
There  were  only  six  charter  members,*  and  in  1899  only  two 
other  institutions  had  been  admitted.  Eandolph-Macon,  the 
first  woman's  college  to  come  in,  was  not  admitted  until  the 
fall  of  1902 — after  our  first  class  had  graduated.  So,  in  those 
first  years,  while  we  had  no  yardsticks  for  measuring  our  stand- 
ards, we  had  the  aim  and  purpose  of  giving  good  college  educa- 
tion. Today  we  have  grown  to  the  stature  of  the  Southern 
Association  of  Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools  and  to  the 
American  Association  of  University  Women,  and  the  members 
of  our  faculty  are  eligible  to  membership  in  any  of  the  edu- 


*Two   of   these  were  in   North   Carolina :    the    State   University   and   the   present 
Duke   University. 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  23 

cational  associations,  as,  for  example,  the  Association  of  Amer- 
ican Professors. 

Here,  as  in  practically  all  Southern  colleges  for  women  at 
that  time,  preparatory  classes  were  maintained,  and  the  school 
and  the  college  blended  into  each  other  so  that  it  was  impossible 
to  say  just  where  the  one  ended  and  the  other  began.  A  few 
years  later  they  were  separately  organized  and  students  were 
classed  as  being  in  the  one  or  the  other. 

FACULTY  AND  DEPARTMENTS 

The  following  tabulation  will  make  clear  the  growth  in  the 
faculty  and  the  scope  of  the  curriculum.  The  differences  in  the 
number  and  the  standard  of  the  courses  offered  are  likewise  sug- 
gested. Of  course,  most  of  the  courses  offered  in  the  opening 
year  were  of  freshman  or  sophomore  grades.  The  college  rec- 
ords show  that  220  students  were  registered  in  1899.  This 
number  probably  included  all  the  grade  children.  In  1924-'25 
there  were  457  college  and  non-resident  music  and  art  students 
registered. 

1899  1925 

Dr.  Blasingame,  President  President 

Student  Stenographer  Secretary  to  the  President 

Library  College  Dean 

Two  Students  Librarian  and  Five  Student 

Mr.  "Watson  Assistants 

Mathematics  and  Bursar            Mathematics  (Two  Instructors*) 

Miss  Stone  Bursar 

English  English  (Five  Instructors 

Miss  Perry  One  Student  Assistant) 

Latin  Latin  and  Greek 

Miss  Patton  (Two  Instructors) 

Greek  Religious  Education 

Philosophy  Social  Science 

Bible  (One  Instructor) 


'Instructor   is   used   to   mean   teacher    and   has   no   reference   to    academic   rank. 


24 


Meredith  College  Bulletin 


Education  and  Psychology 

(One  Instructor 

One  Student  Assistant) 
Miss  Young 

Modern  Languages 

(French  and  German) 
Mr.  Kesler 

Natural  Sciences 

(Chemistry,  Biology  and 
Physics) 
Mrs.  Kesler 

History 
Dr.  Dixon 

Physiology  and  College 
Physician 
Mrs.  Watson 

Matron 
Mrs.   Seay 

Dietitian 
Miss  Eckloff 

Grades 
Miss  Parry 

Business  Department 
Miss  Reynolds 

Expression 

Physical  Education 
Miss  Poteat 

Art 

Piano 
Mr.  Henri  Appy 

Director  of  Music 

(Piano,  Violin,  Theory) 
Mrs.  Henri  Appy 

Voice 
Miss  Lovie  Jones 

Assistant 
Miss  Julia  Brewer 

Assistant 
Because  of  considerable  growth 
of    the    department    there    were 
added  during  the  year: 


Mr.  Henry  Gruhler 

Piano 
Mrs.  Henry  Gruhler 

Voice 
Modern  Languages 

(French  and  German) 
(Four  Instructors) 
Chemistry   (Two  Instructors 

Three  Student  Assistants) 
Biology  (One  Instructor 

One  Student  Assistant) 
Physics,   Geol.   Astronomy 

(One  Instructor) 
History  and  Economics 

(Two  Instructors) 
Physiology  and  College 

Physician  Nurse 
Dean  of  Women  (Three) 

House  Director 
Dietitian 

Stewardess  for  M.  Club 
Discontinued 
Discontinued 
Expression  Discontinued 
Physical  Education 

(One  Instructor 

One  Student  Assistant) 
Art   (Two  Instructors) 
Piano   (Five  Instructors) 
Violin  (One  Instructor) 
Voice  Culture 

(Three  Instructors) 
In  the  music  department  have 
been  added  Organ,  Pedagogy, 
Harmony,  Counterpoint,  Compo- 
sition, Orchestration,  Music  His- 
tory, and  Public  School  Music. 

In  addition  to  the  College 
Music  Department  is  a  Prepara- 
tory Piano  Department,  with 
Five  Instructors. 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  25 

The  Home  Economics  Department  leading  to  the  degree  of 
B.S.  has  also  been  added.  Not  less  significant  than  the  growth 
in  the  number  of  instructors,  departments,  and  courses  offered 
is  the  change  in  the  training  and  experience  of  the  faculty. 
In  1899  there  were  in  the  faculty  five  M.A.'s  and  one  A.B. 
At  present  there  are  four  Ph.D.'s,  one  Mus.D.  and  one  Th.D., 
fourteen  M.A.'s,  four  A.B.'s,  and  one  B.S. 

PHYSICAL  PLANT 

In  1899  we  had  four  acres  of  land  on  which  were  the  Main 
Building  and  East  Building.  The  New  Meredith  is  to  have 
one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  land  with  adequate  buildings 
for  the  various  departments  as  provided  for  in  the  architect's 
plans. 

1899 :  Chemistry  Laboratory — one  of  Main  Building  class- 
rooms. 

Biology  Laboratory — one  of  Main  Building  class- 
rooms. 

Physics  Laboratory — a  small  amount  of  apparatus  in 
lecture  room. 

Library — one  of  Main  Building  class-rooms. 

Infirmary — one  of  Main  Building  class-rooms  (on 
Chapel  floor). 

As  there  was  no  nurse,  students,  when  ill,  generally  stayed 
in  their  living  rooms  and  were  looked  after  by  their  room- 
mates with  supervision  by  the  matron  and  Dr.  Dixon.  (She 
was  not  Dr.  Carroll  then.)  I  recall  that  in  the  evenings  when 
Dr.  Dixon  was  having  callers  we  would  knock  at  her  door  and 
ask  for  pills.  She  had  a  difficult  time  teaching  us  what  uses 
were  to  be  made  of  office  hours. 


26  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

ORGANIZATIONS  FOR  EXTRA-CURRICULA 
ACTIVITIES 

A  Missionary  Society,  the  Philaretian  and  Astrotekton 
Literary  Society,  and  a  Glee  Club  were  organized  the  first  year. 
There  were  no  class  organizations  until  the  fall  of  1901-'02, 
when  the  senior  class  was  organized  and  given  certain  senior 
privileges.  Two  seniors  were  allowed  to  walk  together  without 
being  accompanied  by  a  teacher.  I  have  never  felt  more  dis- 
tinguished than  I  did  when  some  of  the  lower  classmen,  seeing 
me  out  walking  without  a  teacher,  would  exclaim  "Senior !" 
in  an  admiring  tone  of  voice.  The  first  Annual  was  pub- 
lished by  the  Class  of  1904;  the  Acorn  was  first  published  in 
1906 ;  the  Twig  in  1921.  The  Y.  W.  C.  A.  was  organized  in 
1902.  The  departmental  clubs  have  all  been  organized  in  the 
past  five  years. 

STUDENT  PRIVILEGES  AND  REGULATIONS 

There  must  not  have  been  many  of  either,  since  I  can't 
remember  them.  Student  government  was  quite  new  in  1899, 
and  probably  none  of  our  students  had  heard  that  there  was 
such  a  thing.  One  of  the  teachers  took  the  student  body  to 
walk  each  afternoon.  I  recall  with  what  ease  and  yet  how 
rapidly  Miss  Reynolds  tripped  along.  When  she  got  home  there 
would  probably  be  a  half  dozen  girls  with  her.  The  others  were 
limping  somewhere  along  the  way.  We  shopped  in  groups  of 
twelve  or  fifteen  with  a  teacher.  This  was  discouraging  to  shop- 
ping proclivities.  I  recall  going  down  town  to  buy  two  spools  of 
thread  and  having  to  spend  the  whole  of  Monday  morning 
doing  it.  I  did  not  shop  for  a  long  time  thereafter.  We  did 
not  put  our  lights  out,  but  they  were  switched  off  for  us  at  ten 
o'clock.  My  roommate  used  to  give  me  shivers.  She  couldn't 
go  to  sleep  without  reading  at  least  one  or  two  verses  in  her 
Bible.  Sometimes  she  did  not  get  this  done  before  ten  P.  M. 
and  would  strike  matches  to  read  by. 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  27 


NAME 

One  cannot  close  an  article  like  this  without  speaking  of 
the  name  of  our  college.  It  was  opened  in  the  days  when  the 
word  "female"  still  went  in  good  society,  though  the  day  had 
passed  when  it  was  presented  as  the  most  honorable  of  the 
company.  Meredith  had  its  birth  as  the  Baptist  Female  Uni- 
versity. "Female"  continued  to  lose  ground,  and  in  1905  the 
Baptist  Female  University  became  the  Baptist  University  for 
Women.  It  was  Dr.  R.  T.  Yann,  at  that  time  President  of  the 
College,  who  suggested  the  beautiful  name  of  Meredith.  He, 
in  cooperation  with  Miss  Elizabeth  Colton,  led  the  faculty  in 
inducing  the  trustees  to  adopt  the  name  which  brings  a  thrill 
to  so  many  hearts  today.  The  college  has  an  added  honor  in 
bearing  the  name  of  Thomas  Meredith,  and  his  glory 
honor  are  greater  for  having  so  worthy  a  namesake 
MEREDITH  COLLEGE. 


Meredith  Girls 

By  Livingston  Johnson 

Editor  Biblical  Recorder 

Almost  since  the  first  day  that  Meredith  College  opened  its 
doors  the  writer  of  the  following  article  has  been  in  close 
touch  with  it,  and  has  had  opportunity  to  obtain  first-hand 
information  about  the  students  who  have  attended  through 
all  the  years  since  the  first  class  was  graduated. 

ON  THE  CAMPUS 

It  requires  considerable  stretch  of  the  imagination  to  speak 
of  the  "Meredith  Campus."  The  institution,  at  present,  is 
located  in  the  very  heart  of  Raleigh,  adjoining  the  square  on 
which  stands  the  Governor's  Mansion.  What  is  left  of  a  four 
acre  square  after  space  for  eight  houses  has  been  taken,  con- 


28  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

stitutes  the  campus.  This  square  is  surrounded  by  prominent 
streets,  over  which  automobiles  and  other  vehicles  are  constantly 
passing.  This,  of  course,  gives  the  Meredith  girls  very  little 
privacy.  But  with  these  unfavorable  conditions,  the  deportment 
of  the  students  on  the  campus  is  so  circumspect  that  no  just 
criticism  can  be  offered.  Though  the  distractions  are  many, 
and  frequently  quite  annoying,  the  demeanor  of  the  girls  is  very 
lady-like.  The  lack  of  private  grounds  and  sufficient  space  for 
exercise  and  athletic  sports  was  one  of  the  chief  considerations 
which  led  to  the  selection  of  the  new  site  for  the  college. 

IIST  THE  CHAPEL 

Every  morning  at  10 :30  classes  are  suspended  and  the 
students  gather  in  the  chapel  for  devotional  exercises.  This  is 
a  very  helpful  and  inspiring  service.  It  is  worth  the  visitor's 
while  to  drop  in  just  to  hear  the  Meredith  girls  sing.  With 
Dean  Dingley  Brown  at  the  organ,  and  the  large  choir  to  lead 
the  songs  in  which  the  whole  student  body  joins,  the  music 
is  soul-stirring.  This  is  especially  true  on  occasions  when 
"Alma  Mater"  is  sung.  The  words  and  music  of  this  beautiful 
hymn  were  composed  by  Dr.  R.  T.  Vann.  Dr.  W.  J.  Mc- 
Glothlin  pronounced  this  the  best  college  hymn  he  had  ever 
heard.  That  song  is  sung  in  the  chapel  of  Meredith  College  as 
it  is  no  where  else. 

One  rarely  has  the  privilege  of  talking  to  a  more  responsive 
audience  than  the  one  composed  of  the  students  and  faculty  of 
Meredith.  This  writer  has  the  pleasure  of  conducting  chapel 
exercises  at  Meredith  occasionally,  and  the  marked  attention 
given  to  what  is  said  makes  this  an  easy  and  pleasant  task. 
These  chapel  exercises  could  not  be  what  they  are  if  it  were 
not  for  the  fine  spiritual  atmosphere  that  surrounds  the  insti- 
tution. 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  29 


OUT  IN  THE  WORLD 

It  will  interest  any  one  who  glances  through  the  alumnae 
handbook  of  Meredith  College  to  see  how  widely  the  Meredith 
girls  are  scattered,  and  how  many  places  of  usefulness  they  are 
filling.  In  a  recent  hurried  inspection  of  the  handbook  I  found 
that  seventeen  of  the  Meredith  alumnae  have  gone  to  foreign 
fields  as  missionaries,  while  many  are  doing  special  work  in 
the  homeland.  Others  are  devoting  their  lives  to  teaching,  and 
many  have  become  wives  and  mothers  in  Christian  homes. 
When  pleading  for  money  to  build  Meredith  College  O.  L. 
Stringfield  used  to  say,  "If  you  educate  a  man  you  have  an 
educated  individual,  but  if  you  educate  a  woman  you  will  have 
an  educated  home."  There  is  much  truth  in  that  saying,  as 
the  homes  presided  over  by  Meredith  girls  prove. 

Complaint  has  been  made  that  some  of  the  Meredith  girls, 
who  come  from  country  churches,  do  not  enter  heartily  into 
the  work  of  their  churches  when  they  go  back  home.  Such 
cases  must  he  very  rare.  This  writer  has  travelled  over  the 
State  quite  extensively  for  the  past  twenty-five  years,  and  has 
met  Meredith  girls  in  many  communities.  He  has  taken  pains 
to  inquire  about  their  interest  in  church  work,  and  with  the 
rarest  exceptions  he  has  found  that  they  were  leaders  in  Sunday- 
school,  B.  Y.  P.  U.,  W.  M.  Societies  and  Sunbeam  work,  and 
were  anxious  to  serve  in  any  way  that  opportunity  offered.  In 
one  church  from  which  two  girls  had  come  to  Meredith  com- 
plaint was  made  that  they  took  no  interest  in  the  work  of  the 
church  when  they  returned.  Investigation  showed  that  these 
girls  suggested  some  innovations  which  they  felt  sure  would 
be  helpful,  but  were  given  such  a  "frost"  that  they  decided 
to  let  things  go  on  in  the  old  way. 

The  work  of  the  Kingdom,  at  home  and  abroad,  has  been 
greatly  enriched  by  the  lives  of  the  Meredith  alumnae.  May 
the  New  Meredith  preserve  the  spirit  and  traditions  of  the 
Old! 


30  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

Meredith's    Contribution  to  Our  Denomina- 
tional Life 

By  Charles  E.  Maddry,  Corresponding  Secretary, 
Baptist  State  Convention  of  North  Carolina 

When  the  Baptist  State  Convention  was  organized  at  Green- 
ville in  1830,  there  were  only  about  ten  thousand  white  Mis- 
sionary Baptists  in  the  State.  It  is  estimated  that  the  Hard- 
shell branch  that  split  off  from  us  about  that  time,  numbered 
some  thirty  thousand.  They  were  opposed  to  Missions,  Sunday- 
schools,  and  an  educated  ministry.  Wake  Forest  College  and 
the  Biblical  Recorder  were  established  within  a  few  years.  Our 
people  were  few  and  widely  scattered.  Our  ministry,  with  half 
a  dozen  exceptions,  was  uneducated.  But  an  intense  spirit  of 
evangelism,  an  educated  leadership  and  a  world-wide  missionary 
program  have  brought  us  in  ninety  years  to  a  mighty  host  that 
out-numbers  all  other  denominations  in  the  State  combined. 
We  waited  seventy  years  to  establish  Meredith  for  the  educa- 
tion of  our  women.  In  this  twenty-five  years  since  we  estab- 
lished Meredith  for  the  training  of  our  womanhood,  our  denomi- 
nation has  gone  forward  by  leaps  and  bounds.  The  women  gave 
more  than  one-third  of  all  that  was  given  by  North  Carolina 
Baptists  during  the  five-year  period  of  the  75-Million  Campaign. 
Last  year  North  Carolina  women  led  the  Baptist  women  of  the 
South  in  amounts  given  to  the  Kingdom.  In  efficiency,  in  leader- 
ship, in  donation  to  Christ's  cause,  in  amount  of  money  given  to 
Kingdom  causes,  our  denomination  has  multiplied  many  times 
over  in  ten  years. 

What  is  the  secret  of  this  marvelous  growth?  I  believe  it  is 
largely  through  the  growing  and  accumulating  influence  of 
Meredith  College.  In  hundreds  of  churches  and  communities, 
you  will  find  Meredith  College  graduates  in  places  of  leadership 
and  responsibility,  toning  up  the  whole  denominational  life  and 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  31 

inspiring  our  pastors  and  churches  to  higher  and  better  things 
in  the  cause  of  Christ. 

Dr.  Charles  D.  Mclver  used  to  say  that  when  you  educated  a 
man,  you  educated  a  citizen,  but  when  you  educated  a  woman, 
you  educated  a  family.  We  may  almost  say  that  wherever  a 
Meredith  graduate  goes,  it  means  a  church  transformed  and  a 
whole  association  set  forward.  Just  one  illustration:  In  one 
of  our  Eastern  Associations,  a  Meredith  graduate  married  a 
Wake  Forest  graduate  and  settled  in  the  home  town.  The  little 
Baptist  Church  was  weak  and  struggling  and  despised.  The 
church  house  was  on  the  edge  of  the  town  surrounded  by  a  fast 
growing  negro  community.  The  house  itself  was  wholly  in- 
adequate and  disgustingly  ugly.  The  pastor  came  once  each 
month  and  the  whole  surrounding  country  was  given  over  to 
sin  and  lawlessness.  This  young  Meredith  graduate,  with  cul- 
ture and  a  beautiful,  attractive  personality,  first  turned  her 
young  husband  in  the  right  way,  and  together,  he  as  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Sunday-school  and  leader  of  the  men,  she  as 
teacher  and  leader  and  inspirer  of  the  women,  have  made  over 
in  twenty  years  the  whole  Baptist  life  of  that  community. 
Today,  there  is  a  beautiful  and  well  appointed  church  house 
on  the  main  street  of  town.  The  pastor  gives  all  of  his  time 
to  this  one  church,  and  lives  in 'a  beautiful  home  owned  by  the 
church.  I  may  go  further  and  say  that  this  Meredith  graduate 
has  transformed  the  life  of  the  denomination  in  that  county  and 
district  association.  She  has  made  it  her  business  to  organize 
and  set  forward  the  whole  life  of  the  churches  in  the  surround- 
ing country  in  a  marvelous  way.  JSTow  the  country  churches 
and  pastors  send  for  her  to  come  and  lead  them  in  every  phase 
of  their  work  and  life.  She  is  the  outstanding  personality  in 
the  life  of  the  association,  and  her  ability  and  talents  are  sought 
for  in  the  life  of  the  denomination  far  and  wide. 

This  is  but  one  illustration  of  many  that  might  be  given  of 
the  contribution  of  Meredith  graduates  to  the  life  of  the  denomi- 
nation. 


32  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

College  Girls  As  Sunshine 

Charles  M.  Heck 

If  you  do  not  believe  in  the  reality  of  human  sunshine  come 
with  me  some  Sunday  morning  and  stand  up  before  my  Sunday- 
school  class  of  Meredith  Freshmen.  "Yes,"  you  say,  "but  real 
sunshine  does  its  best  work  in  brightening  up  places  where 
darkness  would  otherwise  reign.  If  theirs  is  real  sunshine,  it  will 
go  beyond  the  walls  of  church  and  college  and  seek  out  the 
lonely  places  and  the  dark  corners  with  its  brightness." 

My  girls  agree  with  you  and  have  already  a  record  that  will 
prove  to  all  that  theirs  is  the  real  kind  of  sunshine.  Now  we 
are  not  peculiar  in  wanting  to  do  good  and  scatter  happiness 
where  ever  we  may;  we  do  not  tell  of  our  work  to  prove  our 
superior  earnestness.  Rather  to  encourage  those  who  like  us 
have  found  it  hard  to  find  the  opportunities  and  the  freedom 
for  service,  do  we  tell  of  the  "Sunshine  Group"  and  its  activities. 

Boy  scouts  can  go  where  and  when  they  please  on  missions  of 
light,  but  college  girls  find  more  difficulty.  Yet  it  is  not  impos- 
sible for  them  to  do  such  service.  And  indeed  it  should  be 
made  possible,  for  if  girls  do  not  learn  to  serve  while  in  college 
and  that  in  a  manner  similar  to  what  they  may  find  oppor- 
tunity for  in  after  life,  when  will  they  ever  learn  this  practical 
side  of  Christianity  and  leadership  ?  So  we  called  for  volunteers 
and  arranged  for  activities. 

Come  some  bright  Sunday  afternoon  and  go  with  us.  Let  us 
suppose  it  is  one  of  their  trips  to  the  colony  of  unfortunates 
out  at  the  Epileptic  Home.  Though  mentally  normal  most  of 
the  time,  the  inmates  of  this  home  have  somehow  been  missed 
by  other  organizations  and  are  doubly  grateful  for  this  ray  of 
outside  brightness.  They  gather  around  the  group  with  a  new 
light  in  their  eyes  and  listen  with  intense  interest  to  the  girls 
as  they  sing  and  recite  according  to  the  prearranged  program. 
Were  you  with  us,  I   am  sure  the  idea  would  come  to  you 


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^™__^^^ 


OFFICERS    STUDENT   GOVERNMENT   ASSOCIATION,    1924-1925 

Winnie  Rickett,  President 
Maey  Bowen,  Vice-President 
Elsie  Elkins,  Treasurer 
Elizabeth  Purnell,  Secretary 


(Permission   of   Oak   Leaves) 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  33 

at  once  as  it  came  to  me.  Studying  music  hour  after  hour  and 
reciting  day  after  day,  only  at  such  moments  do  the  students 
realize  the  full  worth  and  power  of  their  acquirements  in 
school.  Not  as  before  a  blase  audience  already  overfed  with 
entertainment  are  these  girls  stimulated  to  employ  their  newly 
gained  talents,  but  with  a  thrill  that  must  have  been  the 
daily  inspiration  of  the  Master,  our  girls  sing  out  their  souls 
to  these  who  hunger  for  what  they  have  to  give.  "Won't  you 
sing  'Where  is  my  wandering  boy  tonight'  "  one  of  the  unfor- 
tunate inmates  calls  out  at  the  end  of  one  of  the  recitations. 
Possibly  here  in  this  request  lingers  a  tragedy  that  culminated 
in  placing  this  poor  soul  in  the  institution.  At  any  rate  the 
girls  through  their  voices  send  out  their  hearts  and  a  prayer 
for  this  poor  soul  and  every  one  of  them  will  remember  for 
years  their  joy  as  they  sung. 

Or  it  might  be  on  a  more  personal  mission  that  you  would 
like  to  join  our  girls.  This  time  they  go  to  the  house  of  some 
shut  in.  The  chances  are  that  there  can  be  no  program  and 
each  must  use  her  initiative  and  tact  in  a  way  that  tests  her  true 
education  to  make  the  visit  of  the  smaller  group  of  girls  accom- 
plish its  purpose.  It  is  into  smaller  groups  that  the  larger 
sunshine  organization  breaks  for  such  visits. 

Rather  would  we  have  you  get  the  Thanksgiving  spirit  with 
us  in  one  of  our  trips  to  the  hospital.  Or  you  might  go  with 
one  of  our  dozens  of  dolls  to  the  Orphanage  and  note  the  sun- 
shine there  reflected  in  the  eyes  of  the  little  tots  whom  the 
Sunshine  Group  have  helped  to  make  glad  at  Christmas  time. 
But  let's  go  to  the  hospital  with  our  group  and  see  how  naturally 
and  how  sweetly  they  go  around  among  the  sick  with  their 
words  of  cheer  and  their  funny  decorated  apples  so  artistically 
made  into  happy  faced  dolls.  In  the  children's  ward  the  girls 
almost  lose  their  courage;  that  is,  their  courage  to  tear  them- 
selves away  from  the  children,  for  their  love  of  the  little  ones 
there  grows  so  strong  that  the  tender  caresses  and  little  talks 
of  love  can  hardly  be  stopped,  they  do  so  love  to  be  sunshine. 
3 


34  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

And  so  I  have  brought  you  our  story  as  a  part  of  our  sunshine 
program.  To  know  that  our  Meredith  girls  do  these  things 
brings  sunshine  to  you,  I  know,  for  we  all  love  Meredith.  But 
to  know  that  we  can  give  opportunity  for  girls  to  learn  more 
and  more  of  the  way  the  Master  trod,  and  that  too  while 
they  are  in  school,  gives  to  you  and  me  still  more  of  gratifica- 
tion. Yes,  they  can,  and  it  is  real  sunshine  they  give,  and  real 
education  they  get  from  service  like  this. 


Upholding  the  Colors 

Elsie  K.  Hunter 
Treasurer  North  Carolina  Woman's  Missionary  Union 

This  present  work-a-day  world  of  ours  affords  a  large  "army 
of  occupation."  Just  the  world  we  know  and  with  which,  by 
some  means,  we  come  in  contact  embraces  a  host.  We  have 
possessed  the  land;  how  well  are  we  occupying  it?  Our  own 
State  has  risen  in  the  last  few  years  from  low  to  high  rank 
along  industrial,  economic,  and  educational  lines.  And  in 
our  church  life  during  the  past  five  years  we  have  gone  beyond 
what  the  most  optimistic  of  our  early  leaders  could  foresee. 

A  well-planned,  commodious  school  building  is  seen  in  every 
district.  From  every  section  of  the  State  the  boys  and  girls 
are  going  up  to  our  higher  institutions  of  learning.  There  they 
are  trained  for  their  places  in  this  "army  of  occupation." 

From  the  halls  of  Meredith,  since  its  founding,  scores  of  girls 
have  gone  out  to  take  their  places  among  those  who  "occupy" 
well,  joining  the  ranks  and  throwing  their  strength  where  most 
needed.  As  citizen  and  leader  of  the  best  thought,  the  Meredith 
girl  is  using  her  influence  for  the  further  betterment  of  economic 
and  industrial  systems,  for  the  improvement  of  health,  for  law 
enforcement,  and  in  giving  an  impetus  to  a  general  upward 
trend  of  all  civic  conditions. 


'FOR  AULD  LANG   SYNE' 


(Permission    of    Oak   Leaves) 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  35 

As  teacher  in  the  elementary,  vocational,  and  high  schools, 
she  is  helping  to  mould  the  young  lives  of  her  generation.  And 
in  her  chosen  subject,  she  is  holding  first  place  as  professor  in 
college  and  university.  In  the  business  world,  by  her  clear 
thinking  and  quickness  of  execution,  she  is  making  herself  in- 
dispensable. 

But  in  no  sphere  of  service  does  the  leadership  of  the  Mere- 
dith girl  reach  its  ascendency  as  in  her  church  activities.  Her 
training  fits  her  preeminently  for  this.  A  wholesome  Christian 
atmosphere  permeates  the  college;  the  Bible  and  kindred  sub- 
jects are  taught  in  the  class-rooms ;  there  are  the  B.  Y.  P.  XL's 
and  Y.  W.  A.  within  the  institution,  as  well  as  opportunities 
in  nearby  churches  for  Sunday-school  and  young  people's  work. 
In  the  home  church,  or  wherever  her  work  may  call  her,  you 
will  find  the  Meredith  girl  teaching  in  the  Sunday-school,  or 
even  leading  the  Sunday-school  where  there  is  no  one  else  to  do 
it.  She  is  church  organist,  choir  leader,  president  of  Woman's 
Missionary  Society,  leader  in  the  several  young  people's  organi- 
zations, and  the  ever-ready  pastor's  helper  at  all  times.  ISTot 
only  does  she  foster  every  branch  of  the  church  work  at  home, 
but  she  is  active  in  her  county,  association,  and  State.  She 
multiplies  herself  many  times  in  the  young  lives  reached  through 
her  varied  activities. 

While  these  are  "occupying"  well  the  land  at  home,  there  are 
a  number  who  have  heard  and  answered  the  call  to  service  on 
the  far-flung  battle  line.  As  missionaries, — teaching,  evangeliz- 
ing, nursing,  healing, — they  are  upholding  the  colors  of  the 
King  and  of  Meredith,  as  they  lead  on  in  the  fight  for  all  that 
is  worth  while. 

See  a  Meredith  girl  as  superintendent  of  a  woman's  hospital 
in  China.  Oh,  the  poor  broken  lives  that  come  to  its  doors! 
She  takes  in  all  that  can  possibly  be  cared  for.  They  are 
treated,  nursed  to  health,  given  the  word  of  life  for  the  sin-sick 
soul,  and  sent  out  with  a  new  hope  in  their  hearts  and  a  light 
on  their  faces  to  tell  the  story  of  their  cure  and  of  the  Saviour. 
Many  others  come  because  of  their  testimony.     Her  training 


36  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

of  the  Chinese  nurses  is  a  blessed  part  of  her  ministry.  Her 
personal  touch  and  daily  influence  leads  them  to  a  life  of  conse- 
crated service. 

The  Meredith  girl,  whether  in  the  "army  of  occupation"  at 
home,  or  on  the  far-flung  battle  line,  feels  the  obligation  which 
her  training  has  placed  upon  her.  And  that  she  measures  up 
in  a  great  way  is  the  testimony  of  those  who  know  her  work 
and  who  come  under  her  influence. 


From  Near  and  Far 

MEREDITH — Her  influence  is  felt  on  every  side — in  the  market- 
place, the  social  life,  the  religious  and  church  life  of  the  entire  State. 
With  her  increased  facilities  for  even  a  larger  work,  which  she  will 
do  well,  the  city  and  State  do  rejoice. 

E.  B.  Crow,  Raleigh,  N.  C. 


FROM  THE  FATHER  OF  A  MISSIONARY 

It  affords  me  much  pleasure  to  give  my  testimonial  of  appreciation 
for  the  great  service  rendered  by  Meredith  College  in  training  young 
women  for  usefulness.  I  believe  the  College  has  turned  out  some  of 
the  finest  women  that  ever  tread  upon  American  soil ;  yes,  some  who 
have  taken  active  part  in  Church  and  Sunday  School  work  and  have 
developed  into  the  very  best  home-makers.  Some  have  chosen  for 
their  occupation,  religious  work  in  foreign  lands,  and  I  believe  every 
admirer  of  Meredith  College  ought  to  have  special  times  of  prayer 
for  those  who  have  dedicated  their  lives  to  the  Master's  service. 

L.  W.  Norman,  Hertford,  N.  C. 


I  think  that  Meredith  is  doing  more  for  the  girls  who  attend  col- 
lege than  any  other  institution  of  the  State.  All  the  girls  from 
Andrews  are  very  loyal  and  offer  themselves  for  service  in  both 
church  and  community.  All  the  girls  who  attended  Meredith  College 
that  live  here  are  engaged  in  some  special  work  of  our  church.  It 
can  be  safely  said  that  Meredith  breathes  that  Christian  influence 
that   sends  the  girls  into   the  world  with  a   spirit   of  loyalty   and 


AVENUE  OF  TREES— New  Site 


(Permission    of    Oak   Leaves) 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  37 

service  very  noticeable  to  all  that  know  them.  It  is,  therefore,  the 
duty  of  every  Baptist  in  the  State  to  stand  by  and  make  great 
sacrifice  for  her  great  future  achievement. 

L.  P.  Smith,  Pastor  Andrews  Baptist  Church. 


Ninth  Avenue  Church  has  been  exceedingly  fortunate  in  having 
Meredith  girls  as  her  very  best  workers  and  leaders. 

L.  R.  Pruette,  Charlotte,  N.  C. 


In  my  own  town  there  is  a  graduate  from  Meredith  College  who 
is  active  in  both  religious  and  civic  matters  pertaining  to  welfare 
of  the  town  and  community.  We  have  had  some  serious  difficulty  in 
getting  teachers  for  the  High  School  who  were  competent  and  tactful 
enough  to  measure  up  to  the  occasion.  But  in  this  Meredith  girl  there 
is  a  rare  combination  of  sound  learning  and  good  judgment,  and  as  a 
consequence  she  can  cope  with  all  occasions. 

But  perhaps  it  is  in  the  church  that  she  has  done  and  is  doing 
some  of  her  best  work.  She  is  teacher  of  the  Philathea  class — one  of 
the  largest  and  most  aggressive  classes  of  the  Baptist  Church.  In 
spite  of  the  fact  that  she  was  already  overworked,  the  teachers  of 
the  Sunday  school  selected  her  for  teacher  of  the  Teacher's  Meeting. 
She  served  in  this  responsible  position  during  the  many  months  we 
were  without  a  pastor,  and  to  her  belongs  much  praise  for  the 
splendid  work  she  did  in  holding  the  Sunday  school  together  during 
this  period.  Thanks  to  Meredith  College  for  sending  her  back  to  us 
with  enlarged  vision  for  service  in  the  Master's  Kingdom. 

R.  L.  Randolph,  Bryson  City,  N.  C. 


Reminiscences 

Margaret  Shields  Everett 

(Mrs.  S.  J.  Everett) 
Trustee  of  Meredith  College 

Meredith  College  has  proved  to  be  not  only  a  paragon,  but 
a  polygon.  The  many-sided  experiences  gained  there  vary  and 
greatly  enlarge  one's  life  and  stimulate  one's  activities  to  give 
the  very  best  service  to  family,  church,  and  community.    Many 


38  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

agencies  of  the  college  influenced,  helped,  and  inspired  me  while 
a  student  there,  and  the  influence  has  increased  in  geometrical 
progression  as  the  years  have  passed,  the  faculty,  the  student 
body,  the  literary  societies,  the  opportunity  afforded  to  know 
and  to  be  associated  with  great  men  and  women. 

Our  life,  after  all,  is  patterned  after  the  expression  of  our 
ideals  as  found  in  individuals.  Many  of  my  ideals  were  con- 
cretely revealed  in  the  faculty  of  Meredith. 

Mrs.  Appie  fulfilled  one's  ideal  of  a  singer  whose  life  found 
expression  in  her  song.  Miss  Sadie  Perry  (Mrs.  R.  C.  Josey) 
satisfied  the  ideal  of  a  wonderfully  inspirational  Latin  teacher 
and  the  wisest  counsellor  afforded  a  Meredith  student.  Miss 
Young — what  more  wonderful  ideal  for  a  college  freshman  or 
senior ! — the  highest  expression  of  culture  and  charm,  combined 
with  that  wonderful  personality.  Miss  Ida — the  girls'  friend, 
her  understanding  heart,  her  comprehending  smile!  What 
Meredith  girl  has  not  had  that  insatiable  desire  to  be  like  her, 
and  has  made  the  resolve  to  fulfil  the  desire? 

Twenty-five  years  ago  few  girls  numbered  a  professional 
woman  among  their  acquaintances.  To  have  a  woman  physi- 
cian to  teach  you,  to  lecture  to  the  student  body  on  Hygiene, 
to  live  among  you — this  seemed  beyond  one's  grasp.  What 
Dr.  Dixon  Carroll's  course  in  Physiology  meant  to  Meredith  in 
its  early  years  cannot  be  estimated.  There  was  no  State  Board 
of  Health,  no  Health  Bulletin.  Hygiene  was  not  in  the  gram- 
mar schools  of  North  Carolina.  Dr.  Dixon  rendered  the  Baptist 
womanhood  of  North  Carolina  a  service  that  cannot  be  meas- 
ured. In  its  practical  application  in  my  own  home  it  has 
meant  more  to  me  than  has  any  other  course  offered  by  the 
college. 

"Aren't  you  glad  you  had  English  at  Meredith?"  so  spoke 
a  former  Meredith  girl  as  we  sat  hearing  Robert  Mantell  in 
Merchant  of  Venice.  I  remember  Mrs.  Stone,  how  she  could 
quicken  and  inspire  the  imagination  and  her  wonderful  inter- 
pretation of  Shakespeare  and  of  Browning  and  other  poets! 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  39 

Who  can  define  the  influence  of  the  Astrotekton  Society  upon 
its  members?  How  well  do  I  recall  the  conference  in  Miss 
Young's  room  that  resulted  in  the  organization  of  the  societies — 
the  mystery  of  it  all,  the  name,  the  motto,  the  pin,  the  initia- 
tion. I  can  still  feel  that  thrill!  Society  spirit  loomed  large 
in  the  student's  life  in  the  early  years.  Class  spirit  had  not 
had  its  birth.  The  society  developed  in  the  student  an  origin- 
ality and  individuality  of  expression  not  accorded  her  elsewhere 
in  college.  The  training  received  in  those  halls  stands  one  in 
good  stead  in  club  work  and  civic  activities  in  this  new  day  of 
freedom  and  of  the  ballot. 

What  a  wonderful  heritage  memory  is!  The  individuals  of 
the  student  body  stand  out  before  you  with  their  varying  charac- 
teristics. The  loyalty  of  that  first  student  body  can  never  be 
surpassed !  Out  of  the  newness  of  those  first  years  was  born  the 
Meredith  spirit,  that  indefinable  something  which  has  grown 
and  developed  with  the  years. 

Dr.  Vann,  "at  his  feet  our  loyal  hearts  their  tribute  lay!" 
He  gave  to  us  our  wonderful  Alma  Mater,  the  personal  expres- 
sion of  Dr.  Vann  himself  in  those  early  days,  for  out  of  the 
chaos  of  1899-1900  was  born  the  Meredith  spirit.  To  this  man 
the  college  owes  a  debt  it  can  never  pay.  He  "came  through 
tribulation" ;  with  poor  equipment  and  no  endowment,  the  stand- 
ard of  the  college,  through  his  efforts  was  steadily  raised.  By 
judicious  planning  and  personal  endeavor  he  improved  the 
standing  of  the  college  among  the  colleges  of  the  South.  The 
constructive  work  done  during  his  administration  helped  to 
make  the  Greater  Meredith  of  today. 

The  Meredith  student  of  former  days  had  the  opportunity  of 
knowing  and  being  influenced  by  many  distinguished  men  and 
women  of  our  State.  Governor  Aycock  daily  passed  the  campus 
at  the  recreation  hour  and  exchanged  greetings  with  the  stu- 
dents in  the  most  neighborly  fashion.  His  inspirational  Chapel 
talks  are  a  treasured  memory.  Mr.  John  Pullen,  Mr.  John  E. 
Ray — two  great  Christian  characters — visited  the  college  many 
times  a  week.    Mr.  Carey  Hunter,  as  Chairman  of  the  Building 


40  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

Committee,  was  on  the  campus  every  morning  of  that  first  year. 
Miss  Fannie  E.  S.  Heck,  who  manifested  such  keen  interest  in 
the  girls,  was  a  personal  friend  to  each  one  of  us.  Dr.  J.  L. 
Kesler,  the  honored  science  teacher,  gave  to  the  "Immortal 
Ten,"  the  first  graduating  class,  this  terse  bit  of  advice: 
"Young  ladies,  many  move,  but  few  leave  a  clean  house." 
This  spirit  of  perseverance  which  he  would  have  inculcated  in 
us  has  become  a  Meredith  characteristic,  inspiring  the  alumnae 
to  leave  no  task,  however  difficult,  unfinished. 

May  the  spirit  of  those  first  years — loyalty  and  willingness 
to  suffer  for  the  good  of  the  whole — still  be  counted  among 
Meredith's  virtues. 


From  the  Alumnae 

New  Meredith !    New  Meredith ! 

The  very  words  themselves  speak  of  growth  and  are  alive 
with  happy  prophecies  for  the  future.  Meredith,  full-grown, 
can  only  be  through  the  loving  faithfulness  of  each  of  her 
daughters,  through  the  prayerful  and  unselfish  wisdom  of  her 
faculty,  through  the  far-reaching  faith  and  the  generous  loyalty 
of  the  Baptists  of  the  State,  and  through  the  assistance  from 
friends  everywhere — friends  who  have  caught  the  vision  of  real 
Christian  culture. 

New  Meredith  will  mean  alumna?  who  look  back  with  love 
and  gratitude,  but  who  press  forward  toward  the  realization  of 
the  dreams  of  years.  New  Meredith  will  be  the  dream  of  the 
founders  come  true,  in  that  she  represents  the  continuation  and 
the  genuine  revival  of  that  faith,  love,  and  sacrifice  in  which 
she  was  born  and  nurtured. 

Mary  Lois  Ferrell, 

President,  Alumnce  Association,  1923-1925. 


OFFICERS    Y.    W.    A.,    1924-1925 


Annabelle  Abbott,  President 
Odessa  Arnette,   Vice-President 
Grace  Neatiiery,  Secretary-Treasurer 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  41 

One  day  a  little  girl  sat  at  her  mother's  knee  trying  to  get  a 
glimpse  of  the  picture  on  the  front  page  of  the  Biblical 
Recorder  which  her  mother  was  holding  in  front  of  her.  Sud- 
denly the  mother  lowered  the  paper  and,  pointing  to  the  picture 
of  the  Main  Building  of  Meredith  College,  which  was  then 
under  the  stupendous  name  of  "University,"  said,  "That's  the 
school  we  gave  a  little  sum  of  money  to  Sunday  at  church,  and 
if  it  continues  to  grow,  when  you  are  ready  for  college,  your 
father  and  I  will  send  you  there." 

It  was  that  day  that  I  decided  that  the  big  building  with  the 
turrets  and  spires  should  be  my  school,  and  from  then  on  I 
thought  nothing,  dreamed  nothing  but  Meredith.  Six  months 
before  I  was  to  enter  Meredith  this  mother  who  had  given  me 
this  ideal  of  a  college  education  was  suddenly  taken  from  me, 
and  the  whole  world  grew  black.  It  seemed  utterly  impossible 
that  I,  the  only  girl  in  the  family,  could  leave  a  father  and  six 
brothers,  one  of  whom  was  a  mere  baby,  and  heartlessly  con- 
tinue my  education.  For  several  months  no  mention  of  the 
future  was  made,  until  one  day,  with  a  break  in  my  voice,  I 
said  something  to  my  father  about  what  I  would  do  the  next 
year,  as,  "of  course,  I  can't  think  of  going  to  Meredith  now." 
A  look  of  amazement  crossed  his  face. 

"Of  course  you  are  going.  We  boys  will  get  along.  It  was 
your  mother's  most  cherished  wish,  and  you  must  go." 

That  seemed  to  me  to  be  the  first  ray  of  sunshine  that  came 
to  dispel  the  cloud  of  despair  that  had  settled  'round  my  heart. 
So  to  Meredith  I  came.  I  can  say  in  all  reverence  that,  in  the 
truest  sense  of  the  words,  Meredith  then  became  my  "Alma 
Mater."  I  loved  her  and  she  returned  my  love.  She  met  my 
every  want  and  filled  my  every  need.  She  gave  me  the  oppor- 
tunity to  fulfill  my  childhood  ambitions,  to  realize  as  far 
as  possible  the  ideal  given  by  my  parents,  and  to  prepare 
myself  for  my  chosen  profession  of  teaching.  I  owe  to  her 
four  years  of  happy  association  with  some  of  Carolina's  best 
daughters,  from  which  came  many  delightful  friendships.  To 
her  devotional  chapel  periods  I  owe  some  of  my  best  impulses 


42  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

and  highest  aspirations.  To  her  various  student  organizations 
I  owe  much  valuable  training  in  the  knowledge  of  how  to  meet 
and  understand  various  types  of  girls.  I  credit  much  of  my 
success  as  Dean  of  Women  at  Howard  College  to  the  training 
I  had  at  Meredith  as  Student  Government  President.  To  Mere- 
dith's faculty  I  owe  much  more  than  the  mere  knowledge  given 
in  the  classrooms.  Many  of  this  noble  group  will  always  remain 
in  my  memory  as  the  greatest  influences  of  my  life:  Miss 
Colton,  with  her  stern  ideals  of  scholarship;  Miss  Law,  with 
her  sympathetic  understanding  and  encouragement;  Miss 
Poteat,  with  her  charming  and  winsome  personality;  Miss 
Paschal,  with  her  fair  decisions  and  impartial  judgments,  and, 
above  all,  her  President,  Dr.  Brewer,  with  his  big  heart  full 
of  kindness  for  all.  To  him  directly  I  owe  my  place  at  Howard 
College  and  to  Meredith  I  owe  the  training  and  the  inspiration 
for  graduate  work  that  made  it  possible  for  him  to  recommend 
me.  This  and  much  more  I  owe  to  Meredith.  I  am  proud  and 
grateful  for  the  privilege  of  calling  her  my  "Alma  Mater." 

French  Haynes,  1919. 
Howard  College,  Birmingham,  Ala. 


Perhaps  I  should  tell  my  friends  what  four  years  at  Meredith 
meant  to  me.  Judging  from  my  "manner  of  living,"  some  have, 
no  doubt,  become  rather  sceptical  and  are  wondering  if  Mere- 
dith really  had  ideals  in  those  ancient  days.  Let  me  assure 
them  that  then  she  was  richer  in  ideals  than  in  anything  else. 
Ideals  of  the  highest  order  had  to  abound  when  Dr.  Vann  and 
other  choice  spirits  determined  the  high  plane  of  living  and 
thinking.  I  say  "Meredith,"  but  in  those  good  old  days  her 
name  was  really  B.  U.  W.  What  if  she  has  been  honored  with 
a  better  name!  Her  personality  continues,  and  not  a  single 
worthy  ideal  has  been  lost.  My  love  for  my  "Fostering  Mother" 
is  deep  and  abiding  and  cannot  be  altered  by  either  prejudice 
or  criticism.    It  is  not  her  fault  that  I  have  not  realized  all  of 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  43 

my  God-given  possibilities.  She  revealed  them  to  me  and  bade 
me  strive  toward  that  end.  It  was  while  in  the  midst  of  her 
awakening  influence  that  the  yearning  for  real  living,  rather 
than  mere  existence,  was  aroused,  and  that  passion  still  troubles 
me. 

"  'Tis  life,  not  death,  for  which  we  pant ; 
More  life  and  fuller  that  we  want." 

Thus,  in  part,  I  interpreted  her  ideals,  which  seemed  more 
vague  then  than  now. 

Not  once  since  leaving  her  walls  have  I  been  ashamed  to 
answer  the  question,  "Where  did  you  attend  college?"  Today, 
if  possible,  there  is  a  greater  thrill  of  pride  accompanying  my 
answer  than  ever  before.  It  gives  one  a  certain  prestige,  but 
prestige  to  be  used  only  in  establishing  Meredith's  worthy  ideals. 

Doka  E.  Cox,  1908. 

Winterville,  K  C. 


Meredith  is  my  Alma  Mater.  Had  I  gone  elsewhere  for  my 
college  course,  what  difference  would  it  have  made  in  my  life? 
It  is  like  asking  who  I  should  be  if  I  were  not  my  own  mother's 
daughter.  Meredith  became  my  mother  by  mutual  adoption. 
May  she  never  be  brought  to  shame  by  this  child ! 

Meredith  taught  me  some  facts  thoroughly.  Last  year  it  gave 
me  a  thrill  of  delight  to  open  my  Trigonometry,  closed  nineteen 
years  ago,  and  feel  at  home  once  more  with  sines  and  tangents. 
In  my  day  the  Science  course  was  quite  elementary,  but  the 
frequent  use  I  make  of  it  in  enlarging  the  universe  for  my 
children  is  a  continual  pleasure  to  them  and  to  me.  At  Mere- 
dith I  was  taught  Science  by  one  who  felt  that  "God  made  it 
all,"  and,  believing  this,  I  would  pass  on  the  torch. 

"Let  knowledge  grow  from  more  to  more, 
But  more  of  reverence  in  us  dwell." 


44  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

My  introduction  at  Meredith  to  foreign  tongues,  history, 
philosophy,  literature,  and  the  Bible  was  so  entrancing  that 
every  year  finds  me  eager  to  dig  more  deeply  into  their  riches. 

Meredith  gave  me  companionship  with  choice  spirits:  with 
those  who  taught  me  much  by  their  classroom  lessons  and 
even  more  by  their  lives;  with  girls  eager  to  search  for 
truth  and  to  serve  others;  with  kindred  spirits  who  with  me 
questioned  youth's  questions,  dreamed  girlhood's  dreams,  and 
wondered  at  life's  wonders.  From  them,  scattered  over  the 
earth,  come  love  and  faith  that  have  inspired  me  all  these 
years,  messages  that  help  to  make  up  the  happiness  of  my  days. 
These  friendships  alone  would  make  me  Meredith's  everlasting 
debtor. 

Highly  do  I  value  the  intellect  of  my  college  mother,  but  I 
am  even  more  grateful  for  simplicity  of  her  social  grace  and 
for  her  deep  spiritual  interest  in  her  children.  In  her  new 
home  as  in  her  old  may  she  cherish  these  three  attributes  as  a 
priceless  heritage  for  every  one  of  her  daughters — and  mine. 

So,  on  this  tenth  day  of  May  I  wear  a  red  rose  for  two 
mothers :  for  the  mother  who  gave  me  life  and  for  the  mother 
who  gave  me  more  abundant  life.     God  bless  them  both ! 

Ethel  Carroll  Squires,  1907. 

Wake  Forest,  K  C,  May  10,  1925. 


The  greatest  force  for  righteousness  in  my  life,  outside  the 
influence  of  my  own  home  and  mother,  has  been  Meredith 
College.  The  very  name  of  my  Alma  Mater  suggests  to  me 
thorough-going,  honest,  well-rounded  scholarship  and  the  ener- 
getic pursuit  of  all  other  worthwhile  things — not  only  mental, 
but,  as  our  freshmen  love  to  put  it,  physical,  spiritual,  and 
social.  I  think  of  our  college  as  a  mighty  kind  of  workshop, 
where  aspiration,  great  enthusiasms,  undreamed-of  powers,  last- 
ing friendships,  and  Christian  character  are  industriously 
and  joyously  wrought. 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  45 

Meredith  graduates,  as  a  rule,  are  genuine.  They  discredit 
superficiality  of  any  kind.  They  have  drunk  deep  enough  to 
know  there  are  deeper  draughts;  they  have  learned  enough  to 
realize  the  vastness  of  the  unknown ;  they  have  attained  enough 
to  wish  to  press  on.  This  is  one  thing  I  like  about  our  college : 
I  love  to  watch  our  girls  go  on  from  good  to  better  and  best. 
It  inspires  me  to  go  on,  too. 

As  a  girl  of  fifteen  I  found  at  Meredith  the  same  ideals  and 
principles  that  had  surrounded  me  all  my  life,  but,  instead  of 
one  mother  to  guide  and  inspire  me,  I  found  many  mothers; 
instead  of  a  few  sisters  I  found  hundreds  of  big-souled,  happy, 
wholesome  girls,  glowing  with  intelligent  purpose  and  compell- 
ing each  other  to  catch  step  in  the  march. 

When  I  consider  the  personality  of  those  Meredith  folk  who 
are  most  distinctly  Meredith,  beginning  with  Mr.  O.  L.  String- 
field,  whose  service  for  the  college  in  early  days  can  never  be 
forgotten,  and  including  the  trustees,  the  two  presidents  I  have 
known,  the  other  officers,  the  teachers,  and  those  students  who 
are  my  own  personal  friends,  something  in  me  bows  down  in 
reverence  to  the  unchanging  virtues  that  shine  forth  like  stars 
in  their  lives.  These  virtues  are  faithfulness,  vision,  consecra- 
tion, and  a  passion  to  serve.  One  and  all,  these  distinctly  Mere- 
dith folk  have  seemed  to  find  the  best  that  life  has  to  offer  in 
the  whole-hearted  serving  of  God  and  man;  and  so  I  have  come 
to  think  of  our  college  as  a  golden  chain  that  binds  us  in  sweet 
fellowship  of  service  about  the  throne  of  God. 

Ella  Graves  Thompson,  1910. 

Leasburg,  ~N.  C. 


"Then  felt  I  like  some  watcher  of  the  skies 
When  a  new  planet  swims  into  his  ken." 

Closely  akin  to  the  watcher  was  one  ambitious  young  dreamer 
when,  in  1906,  she  experienced  the  thrill  of  a  wonderful  fresh- 
man fall  term  at  Baptist  University  for  Women.     The  possi- 


46  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

bilities  were  so  many,  the  hopes  so  high;  life  loomed  ahead 
with  such  compelling  invitation;  the  present  itself  was  so  glori- 
ously full  and  satisfying!  My  daily  duties,  in  spite  of  groans 
over  quizzes  and  heaped  up  work  in  general,  were  a  delight  to 
me;  the  Sundays  with  their  full  program  were  full  of  inspira- 
tion. In  the  college,  apart  from  the  church  worship,  were  the 
volunteer  Bible  and  mission  study  classes.  I  believe  these,  with 
the  fine  student  leaders,  plus  the  Young  Woman's  Christian 
Association — no  B.  Y.  P.  U.  in  those  days — meant  far  more  to 
me  than  did  the  lesson  or  the  sermon  at  church.  I  am  sure 
that  I  came  out  of  that  first  year  with  an  ideal  of  service  that 
has  never  left  me  entirely. 

Service!  Yes,  I  am  sure  that  if  Meredith  left  any  one  im- 
pression on  my  mind  standing  out  above  all  others,  it  was  this 
of  service.  I  trust  that  my  humble  work  for  the  public  school 
children  of  North  Carolina  has  not  failed  to  reflect,  at  least  in 
some  measure,  the  inspiration  of  those  college  years. 

Teachers  and  matrons,  I  feel,  never  know  what  fine  life- 
lessons  they  teach  unconsciously.  It  would  be  too  personal  to 
mention  names  here,  but  some  who  read  this  will  know  to  whom 
I  refer. 

My  opening  quotation  was  about  the  wonder  of  the  new  life 
that  Meredith  presented.  The  wonder  still  persists.  My  great- 
est hope  and  aim  for  my  own  students  is  that  they  may  be 
inspired  to  go  on,  to  seek  more  knowledge,  a  fuller  measure  of 
wisdom.  This  stimulus  to  pursue,  not  to  stop,  was  implanted 
at  Meredith.  The  doctrine  I  could  trace  back  to  Mother  Mere- 
dith. The  old  walls,  the  grounds  hallowed  by  a  thousand 
priceless  associations,  are  soon  to  be  ours  no  more.  Regret  is 
forgotten  almost  in  pride  and  hope  for  the  new  and  shining 
robe  of  our  loved  Mother  Meredith.  But,  whatever  changes 
come,  may  she,  continue  to  guide  and  inspire  the  higher  life; 
may  each  graduating  class  catch  truer  visions  of  her  meaning 
to  the  State,  nay,  even  to  the  nation  and  to  the  world. 

Plokence  Page  Williams,  1910. 

Boone,  K  C. 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  47 

Looking  back  today  over  the  years  since  I  left  Meredith  I 
think  of  many  tasks  which  I  have  somehow  been  able  to  do  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  they  seemed  at  first  beyond  me.  I  give 
her  the  credit  for  having  taught  me  not  to  shirk,  but  to  attempt 
and  to  do  the  difficult  assignment. 

Her  training  is  so  varied  that  one  finds  it  of  practical  use  in 
whatever  one  undertakes.  Life  is  so  full  of  surprises  and  diverse 
requirements  that  this  broad  training  never  comes  in  amiss ! 
When  I  was  graduated  from  Meredith  it  was  my  ambition  to 
secure  a  position  in  some  progressive  North  Carolina  high 
school  and  teach  there  indefinitely.  Such  was  not  my  fate  for 
long.  The  next  year  we  were  in  the  World  War,  and  the  year 
following  I  was  in  Washington  doing  clerical  work  in  a  Gov- 
ernment department.  Then  a  new  ambition  developed.  I 
wanted  to  get  into  the  business  world;  so,  to  a  commercial 
school  I  went,  out  of  work  hours,  and  took  a  secretarial  course, 
for  which  course,  I  might  remark  in  passing,  my  college  course 
was  a  most  valuable  foundation.  Because  I  had  had  the  college 
work  plus  the  business  training  I  was  chosen  out  of  many  appli- 
cants to  go  to  Coblenz,  Germany,  to  teach  commercial  subjects 
in  the  school  for  American  soldiers  there.  This  opened  the  way 
for  delightful  experiences  of  travel  and  adventure.  Back  in  the 
United  States  I  have  been  variously  occupied  in  North  Carolina 
towns,  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  in  New  York  City,  and  now  in  the 
attractive  resort  town  of  Asbury  Park,  New  Jersey.  Here  I 
have  come  back  again  to  my  original  interest — high  school  aca- 
demic work.  I  teach  history,  and  am  reminded  almost  daily 
of  the  debt  I  owe  Miss  Mary  Shannon  Smith  in  this  field. 

When  I  think  of  Meredith  I  think  of  the  personalities  that 
have  made  the  college  great.  Meredith  has  certainly  been  for- 
tunate in  her  officers  and  teachers.  They  have  kept  the  stand- 
ards of  the  institution  high,  and  their  influence  has  been  greater 
than  they  know.  The  college  has  never  lacked  for  students  nor 
for  support  from  the  denomination  which  founded  it.  It  has 
lacked  buildings  and  equipment.     In  spite  of  limited  facilities, 


48  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

it  has  accomplished  much,  and  now  that  the  dreams  for  Greater 
Meredith  are  being  carried  out,  we  who  know  and  appreciate 
what  the  college  has  done  under  great  handicaps  are  quite  con- 
fident that  in  the  new  environment  Meredith  will  be  able  to 
render  a  more  perfect  service  to  an  ever-increasing  number. 

Esther  L.  Royster,  1916. 
Asbury  Park,  N.  J. 


Having  never  written  for  a  college  bulletin  before,  I  hesitate 
about  the  form  of  such  an  effort.  Should  it  be  formal,  or  does 
one  say  "Dear  Bulletin,"  as  if  writing  to  old  Meredith  friends? 
At  any  rate,  if  it  is  to  be  an  expression  of  my  own  appreciation 
for  benefits  received,  it  must  necessarily  be  more  or  less  a  per- 
sonal recital.  I  cannot  say  all  I  should  like,  but  must  be  con- 
tent to  hit  a  few  high  spots  as  they  touch  several  experiences 
of  happy  China  days. 

Eight  here  I  feel  like  saying  in  capital  letters,  "Firstly,  my 
brethren,"  I  should  probably  never  have  reached  China  had  it 
not  been  for  the  wholesome,  earnest  Christian  spirit  of  Mere- 
dith. Thank  God  for  Christian  colleges  where  the  missionary 
fires  burn  strong  and  steady !  Like  vivid  pictures  stand  out  yet 
various  evenings  of  mission  study  classes;  Sunday  afternoon 
cabinet  meetings  with  Miss  Phelps;  a  passionate  chapel  appeal 
from  Miss  Anna  Hartwell,  of  China ;  visits  from  splendid  Y.  W. 
and  Student  Volunteer  traveling  secretaries;  most  vivid  of  all, 
the  snowy,  heart-stirring  trip  to  the  Rochester  Volunteer  Con- 
vention, in  company  with  Blanche  Barrus  and  Miss  Young. 

Perhaps  some  one  will  laugh  at  the  next  thing  I  mention  as 
an  asset  in  missionary  training — a  love  of  beautiful  things, 
which  originated  in  Miss  Ida  Poteat's  Art  History  class,  and 
grew  even  more  in  her  Bible  study  course,  called  "The  Life  of 
Christ  in  Art."  That  long  line  of  good  prints  in  the  upper 
hall  had  its  own  silent  influence.  Many  a  time  in  China,  walk- 
ing through  temple  courts  packed  with  beggars,  or  picking  my 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  49 

way  through  crowded  streets  where  sin  and  disease  and  misery 
were  almost  overpowering,  I  have  looked  up  with  a  sense  of 
relief  at  a  glimpse  of  the  exquisite  beauty  of  mellow  tiled  roof 
lines;  of  rare  old  peonies  blooming;  of  noble  faces  here  and 
there  among  the  worshippers  or  shoppers.  Like  precious  jewels 
are  memories  of  many  scenes  in  China  land :  avenues  of  grand 
old  cedars ;  the  white  purity  and  spiritual  quality  of  the  Temple 
of  Heaven  under  a  summer  moon;  the  keen,  wind-swept  air  of 
beautiful  Kuling  Mountains;  the  gleam  of  beaten  copper  and 
brass  in  a  tiny,  dusky  shop ;  the  flare  of  firelight  against  a  bare 
brown  chest  as  our  neighbor  blacksmith  swung  his  hammer  far 
into  the  night — why,  I  would  write  a  poem  about  it  if  I  could ! 
And  the  heart  to  understand  the  beauty  of  these  things  was 
first  stirred  years  ago  in  Meredith  days.  Volunteers,  elect  Art 
History!  It  will  not  only  give  you  joy  without  end,  but  make 
you  better  fitted  to  understand  the  beauty  that  lies  deep  in  the 
hearts  of  those  whom  we  are  sometimes  tempted  to  call  our 
inferiors. 

There  was  another  thing  that  was  a  great  help — training  in 
speaking,  however  boresome  the  effect  on  the  audience.  Much 
training  along  this  line  came  later  in  the  Training  School.  It, 
is  invaluable  in  mission  life.  Y.  W.  prayer  meetings,  society 
meetings,  and  many  occasions  made  it  necessary  to  think  quickly 
and  to  speak  instead  of  to  read  what  I  thought.  The  memory 
of  my  first  desperate,  trembling  effort  at  a  sentence-prayer  in 
the  left-hand  corner  of  chapel  during  my  first  year  came  back 
to  me  especially  on  one  unusual  occasion  in  Peking.  We  were 
trying  that  winter  to  help  outside  people  realize  the  splendid 
type  of  work  done  in  our  school,  where  nearly  four  hundred 
students  of  many  lands  and  races  were  studying  the  Chinese 
language.  The  foreign  faculty  was  very  small,  though  we 
boasted  a  hundred  and  forty  Chinese  teachers.  After  much 
discussion  we  decided  on  a  dinner,  to  which  were  invited  the 
American  Ambassador  and  his  wife,  various  dignitaries  from 
other  legations,  our  entire  body  of  trustees  and  wives,  nearly 
4 


50  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

all  missionaries  of  much  experience,  plus  other  important  heads 
of  various  organizations.  The  list  was  formidable  enough !  It 
fell  to  my  lot  to  plan  the  meal  and  superintend  the  cooking, 
decorate  the  dining  room,  buy  the  place-cards,  make  the  salad- 
dressing,  and  a  dozen  other  things  which  seemed  burden  enough 
to  add  to  regular  school  duties.  When  the  president  announced 
in  a  casual  manner  that  he  had  me  down  for  a  speech  I  blinked 
a  blink  and  shook  a  bit,  but  said,  "About  what?"  instead  of 
"I  can't."  !No,  it  wasn't  much  of  a  speech,  but  I  did  it.  Do 
you  remember  how  Mr.  Ray  used  to  say  in  the  "Corner  Class," 
"Young  ladies,  he  couldn't  but  he  did,  didn't  he?"  It  was  like 
that.  By  way  of  iparenthesis  I  might  add  that  I  presided  at 
the  head  of  that  long  table,  with  the  American  Ambassador,  a 
bit  deaf,  on  my  right,  and  a  monocled  British  representative 
from  the  Tokyo  legation  on  my  left,  and  that  in  the  face  of  so 
much  dignity,  not  to  mention  scorched  soup,  I  dared  stand  up 
and  speak  my  mind  about  our  work.  Oh,  well,  who  said  a 
missionary's  life  was  dull  or  that  one  did  not  need  to  grasp 
eagerly  every  opportunity  to  learn  anything  that  offers  in  col- 
lege days? 

The  Bulletin  lady  said  in  her  letter,  "One  page  or  more." 
I've  long  since  passed  the  limit.  And  now,  "What  shall  I  more 
say?"  For  time  will  fail  me  to  tell  of  all  those  whose  strong, 
earnest  lives  made  Meredith  days  full,  not  only  of  happiness, 
but  of  blessed  work  and  play  and  growth.  That  the  atmos- 
phere was  one  where  Christ  was  very  real  and  near;  that  the 
college  was  small  enough  for  us  to  feel  that  the  faculty  knew 
us  and  had  an  interest  in  us  individually;  that  hard  work  was 
honored;  that  high  ideals  were  lived  before  us  day  by  day — 
for  all  these  things  and  many  more,  I  thank  you,  dear  Alma 
Mater. 

Minnie  Middleton  Anderson,  1911. 

Warsaw,  K  C. 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  51 


Meredith  Foreign  Missionaries 

Mrs.  Maude  Adelia  Burke  Dozier,  was  born  in  Statesville, 
Worth  Carolina,  September  18,  1881.  She  is  the  only  living 
daughter  of  Delia  T.  and  Harry  Burke.  Her  father  is  a  lawyer, 
and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Her  mother  is  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  Church;  her  deep  missionary  spirit  has 
greatly  influenced  the  lives  of  her  children. 

At  the  age  of  ten,  Miss  Maude  gave  her  heart  to  Christ  and 
was  baptized  into  the  membership  of  the  First  Baptist  Church 
of  Statesville.  She  received  her  elementary  training  in  the 
graded  schools  and  attended  Statesville  Female  College,  and 
then  took  a  partial  course  in  the  Normal  and  Collegiate  Insti- 
tute, Asheville.  In  1903,  she  graduated  with  A.B.  degree  from 
the  Baptist  University  for  Women,  Raleigh,  !KT.  C.  The  year 
following,  she  studied  in  the  training  school  of  the  Theological 
Seminary  of  Louisville,  Ky.  During  the  period  of  preparation, 
she  gave  some  time  to  the  study  of  music  and  art.  While  in 
college,  she  was  leader  of  Bible  and  mission  study  classes,  and 
president  of  the  Young  Woman's  Christian  Association.  From 
very  early  childhood,  she  had  been  interested  in  missions — 
this  interest  grew  into  a  purpose  to  give  her  life  to  the  service 
of  God.   She  was  appointed  April  4,  1906,  to  the  work  in  Japan. 

Miss  Sophie  Stephens  Lanneau  was  born  in  Lexington, 
Missouri,  August  19,  1880,  the  sixth  child  of  John  F.  and 
Louise  F.  Lanneau.  Added  to  the  influence  of  earnest  Christian 
parents  was  that  of  personal  contact  with  visiting  missionaries. 
In  1890,  her  father  became  a  professor  in  Wake  Forest  College, 
North  Carolina.  Early  influences  grew  stronger  in  the  spiritual 
atmosphere  of  Wake  Forest.  On  April  10,  1892,  after  pro- 
fession of  faith,  in  a  special  meeting,  she  was  baptized  by  her 
faithful  pastor,  W.  R.  Gwaltney,  into  the  fellowship  of  the 
Wake  Forest  Church. 

The  idea  of  foreign  mission  service  was  in  her  mind  through- 
out  her   girlhood.    In   1898   she   entered   Franklin   Seminary, 


52  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

Franklin,  Virginia.  The  year  of  1901-02  was  spent  in  study 
at  the  Baptist  University,  Raleigh,  N.  C.  When  the  College 
Y.  W.  C.  A.  was  organized,  she  was  made  its  president,  and 
in  February  was  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  Student  Volunteer 
Convention  in  Toronto.  Here  the  growing  impression  of  years 
settled  into  conviction.  Returning  as  a  Student  Volunteer,  the 
first  mission  study  classes  in  the  school  were  formed,  with  the 
help  of  interested  fellow-students.  She  was  graduated  with  the 
B.A.  degree  summa  cum  laude,  in  May,  1902. 

A  year  later  she  returned  to  Raleigh,  teaching  Latin  and 
French  in  the  University  for  two  sessions.  The  winter  -  of 
1905-06  was  spent  in  the  Training  School  Home  at  Louisville. 
Difficulties,  mental  and  spiritual,  were  cleared  in  the  months 
of  instruction  and  inspiration  received  from  the  lectures  and 
lives  of  the  Seminary  professors. 

It  had  long  been  her  intention  to  devote  her  life  to  work 
among  the  women  and  girls  of  China.  Numerous  forces  com- 
bined to  form  and  maintain  this  purpose.  Against  the  many 
temptations  to  turn  aside  from  it,  the  influence  of  one  clear 
impression  was  active.  This  was  caused  by  the  reading,  years 
ago,  of  a  tract  written  by  Miss  Fannie  E.  S.  Heck,  on  the 
theme,  "I  was  not  Disobedient  Unto  the  Heavenly  Vision."  Miss 
Lanneau  sailed  for  China  in  the  fall  of  1907. 


Miss  Laura  Cox  was  born  near  Winterville,  ~N.  C,  Novem- 
ber 29,  1872.  She  was  converted  at  the  age  of  fifteen  and  was 
baptized  in  1887,  becoming  a  member  of  Winterville  Baptist 
Church. 

The  conviction  to  work  for  her  Master  on  the  foreign  field 
came  with  conversion,  but,  having  lost  her  parents  while  a 
child,  she  could  not  begin  the  needed  preparation  until  nineteen 
years  of  age. 

She  received  her  education  in  the  country  schools  in  Pitt 
County,  JR.  C,  two  years  at  the  State  Normal  School,  Greens- 
boro, "N.  C;  three  years  at  Meredith  College,  Raleigh,  ~N.  C, 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  53 

where  she  took  her  B.A.  degree,  and  one  year  at  the  W.  M.  U. 
Training  School,  Louisville,  Ky.,  1909-'lO. 

She  was  appointed  by  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  for  service 
in  Mexico,  June  3,  1910. 


Foy  Elisabeth  Johnson  was  born  in  Scotland  County,  N.  C, 
October  6,  1887.  Her  parents  are  Rev.  Livingston  Johnson  and 
Mrs.  Fannie  Memory  Johnson,  of  Baleigh,  N.  C. 

At  the  age  of  eleven  she  was  converted  and  joined  the  First 
Baptist  Church  of  Greensboro,  of  which  her  father  was  pastor. 

She  attended  the  graded  school  in  Greensboro  and  the  Cary 
High  School.  Her  college  course  was  taken  at  Meredith  Col- 
lege, Raleigh,  N.  C,  where  she  graduated  in  1907,  taking  the 
B.A.  degree.  For  four  years  she  taught  very  acceptably  in 
Meredith  Academy. 

On  the  7th  of  June,  1911,  she  was  married  to  Rev.  Calder  T. 
Willingham  and  appointed  to  the  work  in  Japan.  They  sailed 
August  19  from  New  York,  going  via  Europe  and  Siberia  to 
Japan. 

Her  husband  died  in  October,  1918,  and  she  returned  to 
America  in  May,  1921.  She  is  now  Mrs.  J.  S.  Farmer,  of 
Raleigh,  K.  C. 


Miss  Lelia  McNeill  Memory  McMillian  was  born  in  White- 
ville,  1ST.  C,  March  1,  1889,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
J.  L.  Memory.  Her  father  was  a  well-known  merchant  of  that 
place.  She  was  converted  at  the  age  of  eight  years  and  united 
with  the  church  at  Whiteville.  She  attended  the  local  schools 
and  spent  four  years  at  Meredith  College,  Raleigh,  N.  C,  from 
which  she  received  a  music  diploma  in  1909.  For  three  years 
she  taught  music  at  Buie's  Creek  Academy  in  North  Carolina. 
It  was  here  in  this  school,  which  has  such  a  splendid  missionary 
atmosphere,  that  she  first  felt  the  call  of  God  to  go  as  a  foreign 
missionary,  in  November,  1910.  For  the  year  preceding  her 
appointment  she  taught  music  in  her  home  town,  Whiteville, 


54  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

N.  C.  She  was  married  to  Rev.  H.  H.  McMillan  on  Septem- 
ber 25,  1913,  and  was  appointed  a  missionary  of  the  board  for 
the  work  in  Shanghai,  China.  They  sailed  with  a  large  party 
of  about  twenty  missionaries  from  Seattle,  October  7. 


Miss  Pearle  Johnson  is  the  daughter  of  Robert  P.  and  Clara 
G.  Johnson,  of  Pittsboro,  N.  C.  She  was  born  at  Mount 
Vernon  Springs,  Chatham  County,  N.  C,  where  she  spent  her 
early  childhood.  She  was  converted  at  the  age  of  ten  and 
united  with  the  Baptist  church  of  that  place.  Her  father  was 
a  teacher,  and  it  was  he  who  prepared  her  for  Meredith  Col- 
lege. After  her  graduation  from  Meredith  College  she  taught 
six  years — two  in  the  public  schools,  two  in  Round  Hill  Acad- 
emy, a  mountain  school  in  western  North  Carolina,  and  two 
years  at  Dell  School,  a  denominational  school  in  eastern  North 
Carolina.  In  1913  she  entered  the  W.  M.  U.  Training  School, 
from  which  she  graduated  in  1915.  During  the  summer  of 
1914  and  a  part  1915  she  devoted  herself  to  settlement  work 
at  the  "W.  M.  U.  Training  School's  "Good-will  Center,"  in 
Louisville.  She  was  appointed  by  the  board  at  its  meeting, 
July  15,  1915,  and  sailed  for  China  on  October  8,  1915. 


Mrs.  Anderson,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leonidas 
Middleton,  was  born  near  Warsaw,  N.  C,  December  31,  1889. 
She  united  with  Johnson's  Baptist  Church  at  the  age  of  nine 
years.  She  graduated  from  Meredith  College  in  1911,  and  was 
instructor  in  English  there  during  1911-'12.  The  following 
year  she  was  principal  of  the  public  school  in  her  community. 
She  received  the  B.M.T.  degree  from  the  W.  M.  U.  Training 
School  in  1915.  During  the  winter  of  1915-'16  she  visited  the 
colleges  of  the  Southern  States  in  the  interest  of  W.  M.  U. 
work.  She  was  for  one  year  each  in  North  Carolina  and  Ken- 
tucky as  vice-president  of  the  Student  Volunteer  Union. 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  55 

She  was  married  to  Dr.  John  T.  Anderson,  of  Woodruff, 
S.  C,  June  29,  1916,  and  was  appointed  by  the  board  on  June 
14,  1916.  She  sailed  with  her  husband  for  Chengchow,  China, 
on  August  24,  1916.  After  the  tragic  death  of  her  husband, 
November  13,  1918,  she  returned  to  America. 


Miss  Alda  Grayson  is  a  native  of  Rutherfordton,  N.  C.  At 
the  age  of  eight  she  united  with  the  Baptist  church.  She  re- 
ceived her  high  school  education  at  Round  Hill  Academy  and 
Columbia  College,  Lake  City,  Fla.  In  1915  she  received  the 
B.A.  degree  from  Meredith  College,  and  then  went  to  Louis- 
ville to  attend  the  W.  M.  U.  Training  School,  graduating  there 
in  1917.  Following  this,  she  took  her  hospital  training  as  a 
nurse,  putting  in  a  part  of  the  time  at  the  Rutherfordton  Hos- 
pital at  Rutherfordton  and  the  remainder  at  Fordham  Hos- 
pital, New  York  City.  While  she  had  talked  ever  since  her 
conversion  of  becoming  a  missionary,  her  definite  decision  in 
that  connection  was  not  made  until  her  junior  year  at  college. 
She  grew  up  in  a  missionary  atmosphere,  her  parents  being 
active  Christians  and  many  members  of  her  family  being 
preachers.  She  is  head  nurse  in  the  Kathleen  Mallory  Hos- 
pital at  Laichowfu,  China. 


Mrs.  Celia  Herring  Middleton  was  born  of  missionary  parents 
in  China  and  united  with  the  Baptist  church  at  nine  years  of 
age.  In  1914  she  came  with  her  parents  to  the  United  States 
on  furlough  and  remained  in  North  Carolina  to  complete  her 
education.  She  graduated  from  Buie's  Creek  Academy  in  1915 
and  from  Meredith  College  in  1919.  The  year  following  her 
graduation  she  taught  in  Watauga  Academy,  a  Baptist  moun- 
tain school  at  Butler,  Tenn.  On  July  6,  1920,  she  was  married 
to  Gordon  K.  Middleton,  of  Warsaw,  N.  C,  and  together  they 
are  doing  educational  work  in  Kaifeng  College. 


56  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

Mrs.  Nell  Fowler  Olive  was  born  in  Elkin,  N.  C,  in  1892, 
but  her  family  moved  to  Statesville  in  1906,  where  she  grad- 
uated at  high  school  in  1910.  Following  this,  she  spent  two 
years  in  Mars  Hill  College  and  later  entered  Meredith  College, 
where  she  graduated  in  1916.  She  spent  the  next  years  teach- 
ing in  Dell  School  and  Mars  Hill  College.  On  June  2,  1920, 
she  was  married  to  L.  B.  Olive.     They  are  now  in  China. 


Miss  Valeria  Greene  was  born  at  Canton  in  1892,  and  was 
taught  by  her  parents  until  she  came  to  the  United  States  and 
entered  Oxford  College  in  North  Carolina,  later  going  to  Mars 
Hill  College,  where  she  graduated  in  1912.  Following  the 
death  of  her  father  in  1912,  she  returned  to  Canton,  where 
she  helped  her  mother  in  the  Woman's  Bible  School  at  Canton. 
Realizing  the  need  of  some  special  Bible  training,  she  re- 
turned to  North  j  Carolina  and  took  some  pedagogical  work  in 
Meredith  College,  and  later  graduated  from  the  Training  School 
at  Louisville,  She  went  back  to  Canton  to  teach  in  the  Woman's 
Bible  School. 


At  Ashton,  N.  C,  on  September  27,  1891,  Rosa  Beatrice 
Hocutt  was  born.  She  was  converted  when  she  was  about  four- 
teen years  of  age.  She  entered  high  school  at  Delway,  N.  C, 
during  her  seventeenth  year.  It  was  there  that  she  received 
her  first  impressions  for  foreign  mission  service.  Soon  she 
entered  Meredith  College,  Raleigh,  N.  C.  During  her  stay 
there  she  often  expressed  her  desire  to  become  a  missionary. 

It  was  after  graduation  from  Meredith  in  1917  that  the  final 
decision  to  go  as  a  missionary  to  Africa  was  made.  The  deci- 
sion came  about  in  this  way :  She  was  engaged  to  a  young  man 
at  that  time  a  student  in  the  Seminary  at  Louisville,  Ky.  He 
announced  to  her  the  fact  that  he  must  go  to  Africa.  Imme- 
diately she  wrote  him  to  do  the  Lord's  will,  but  leave  her  out 
of  the  matter,  because  she  felt  she  could  not  go  except  God 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  57 

sent  her.  This  message  to  him  brought  in  return  a  message 
from  one  of  his  best  friends  asking  her  to  reconsider  and  to 
decide  to  enter  this  great  field  of  service.  She  hesitated,  but 
after  prayerful  consideration  decided  that  she  would  follow. 


Mrs.  Kuth  Cook  Phillips  was  born  in  La  Crosse,  Ya.  At  the 
age  of  nine  she  was  converted  and  joined  the  Baptist  church. 
She  received  her  high  school  training  at  Chase  City  Academy 
and  college  training  at  Meredith  College,  Raleigh,  K".  C,  re- 
ceiving a  diploma  in  Music,  in  1912. 

Following  graduation  she  taught  music  in  denominational 
high  schools  in  North  Carolina.  In  1916  she  was  married  to 
Rev.  A.  R.  Phillips,  going  with  him  to  Louisville,  where  she 
took  the  Training  School  course. 

She  and  her  husband  were  appointed  on  October  12,  1921, 
to  do  educational  work  in  Buenos  Aires,  Argentina,  sailing 
from  New  York,  February  16,  1922. 


Miss  Katie  Murray,  the  oldest  daughter  of  William  B. 
Murray  and  Janie  B.  Murray,  was  born  February  8,  1897, 
three  miles  from  Kenansville,  ~N.  C.  When  the  little  girl  was 
eight  her  mother  died,  leaving  her,  a  younger  brother  and 
sister,  all  of  whom  went  to  Rose  Hill,  JST.  C,  to  live  with  their 
uncle  and  aunt,  who  loved  them  as  their  own. 

At  eleven  years  of  age  she  was  converted.  Through  a  word 
spoken  by  her  father  she  was  led  to  confess  Christ  publicly,  and 
was  baptized  by  Rev.  J.  M.  Page.  She  was  fortunate  not  only 
in  having  a  home  where  Christ's  name  was  exalted,  but  in 
receiving  her  education  in  a  Christian  atmosphere.  She  took 
two  years  of  high  school  work  at  Dell  school,  preparatory  to 
entrance  into  Meredith  College,  where  she  received  her  A.B. 
degree  in  1919. 

Soon  after  conversion,  one  day  at  school  when  compositions 
were  read  on  "What  I  Am  Going  to  Do,"  to  the  astonishment 


58  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

of  her  friends,  the  little  girl  read,  "I  am  going  to  be  a  mis- 
sionary." She  thought  very  little  about  it  until  her  junior  year 
in  college,  when  Dr.  E.  M.  Poteat  was  making  a  missionary 
address,  the  call  came  strong  and  forceful.  It  was  not  as  easy 
now  as  she  thought  at  eleven,  for  her  head  was  full  of  other 
ideas  and  plans.  The  following  summer  she  was  a  member  of 
the  party  from  Meredith  who  attended  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.  Con- 
ference at  Blue  Ridge.  Here  her  vision  of  service  were  broad- 
ened; she  felt  the  call,  but  thought  she  could  not  yield.  The 
struggle  went  on;  a  miserable,  unsettled  summer  followed 
graduation;  then  in  the  fall,  one  Sunday  morning  up  in  the 
attic  of  her  home,  came  peace  and  joy,  when  her  life  was  sur- 
rendered for  service.  The  next  year  she  entered  the  Baptist 
W.  M.  U.  Training  School,  receiving  the  degree  of  B.  M.  T. 
in  May,  1922.  She  sailed  for  China,  September  2,  as  educa- 
tional worker  among  Chinese  girls  at  Chengchow,  Honan 
Province. 


Mrs.  T.  Neil  Johnson,  who  before  her  marriage  was  Miss 
Belle  Tyner,  was  born  October  2,  1879,  at  Lumberton,  1ST.  C. 
She  received  her  A.B.  degree  from  Meredith  College  and  also 
attended  the  W.  M.  U.  Training  School  at  Louisville,  Ky.  On 
July  9,  1916,  she  was  married  to  Mr.  T.  Neil  Johnson.  On 
June  14,  1923,  Mrs.  Johnson  and  her  husband  were  appointed 
as  missionaries  of  our  board.  They  were  in  Shanghai,  China, 
at  the  time  of  their  appointment,  Mr.  Johnson  teaching  in  the 
Shanghai  Baptist  College  and  Seminary  at  that  place.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Johnson  are  still  doing  splendid  work  in  connection 
with  the  Baptist  College  at  Shanghai. 


Mrs.  Ida  Rachel  Flake  Hurley  was  born  August  13,  1897, 
at  Wadesboro,  N.  C. 

After  graduating  from  the  Wadesboro  High  School,  she 
attended  the  North  Carolina  College  for  Women  at  Greensboro 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  59 

for  one  year  and  Meredith  College  for  three  years.  She  at- 
tended the  Southwestern  Baptist  Theological  Seminary  for  two 
years. 

At  the  age  of  thirteen  she  was  converted.  For  years  she 
had  a  desire  to  do  mission  work,  and  finally  decided  to  give 
herself  up  to  foreign  mission  service. 

On  July  27,  1922,  she  was  married  to  Rev.  Daniel  T.  Hurley. 
She  with  her  husband  was  appointed  by  the  Foreign  Mission 
Board  on  June  14,  1923,  and  sailed  for  Roumania  on  Sep- 
tember 12. 


Mrs.  Phillip  Ernest  White,  who  before  her  marriage  was 
Miss  Mattie  Macon  Norman,  was  born  in  Hertford,  N".  C, 
January  9,  1900.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Louis  Whitley  and 
Josephine  Elliott  JSTorcnan.  Mattie  Macon  was  converted  and 
baptized  into  the  fellowship  of  the  Hertford  Baptist  Church 
at  the  age  of  twelve- 
She  graduated  from  the  Hertford  High  School  in  1916  and 
entered  Chowan  College  the  following  fall.  After  remaining 
there  for  two  years  she  entered  Meredith  College,  where  she 
received  her  piano  diploma  in  May,  1921.  She  returned  to 
Chowan  College  and  taught  piano  for  two  years.  The  inter- 
vening summer  she  attended  the  ~New  York  School  of  Music 
and  Arts  and  received  a  teacher's  diploma.  During  her.  years 
at  college  the  question  of  foreign  mission  work  presented  itself 
and  remained  unsettled,  but  while  teaching  she  decided  to  go 
to  the  Woman's  Missionary  Training  School,  Louisville,  to 
better  to  prepare  herself  for  service  in  Glod's  Kingdom.  While 
at  the  Training  School  she  volunteered  for  foreign  mission 
work. 

She  was  married  to  Mr.  Phillip  Ernest  White  on  June  17, 
1924,  received  her  appointment  to  interior  China  from  the 
Foreign  Mission  Board  on  July  10,  and  sailed  for  her  field  of 
service  on  September  11,  1924. 


60  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

In  Memory  of  Elizabeth  Avery  Colton 

By  Mary  Leal  Harkness  Black 

[In  response  to  the  editor's  request  that  she  might  reprint 
the  following  tribute  to  Miss  Colton  which  appeared  in  the 
Journal  of  the  American  Association  of  University  Women, 
Miss  Mina  Kerr,  Executive  Secretary  of  the  association,  said: 
"She  did  a  great  piece  of  work,  and  it  gives  me  joy  to  know 
that  other  women  are  remembering  and  honoring  her  for  her 
difficult   and  devoted   service." — Editor's   Note.] 

The  setting  sun  of  August  26,  1924,  saw  the  close  of  a  life 
of  great  influence  for  true  and  high  educational  ideals  in  this 
twentieth  century.  Miss  Colton's  work  was  done  mainly  for  and 
in  the  South.  Although  for  a  time  a  member  of  the  faculty  of 
Wellesley  College,  she  is  identified  rather  with  the  educational 
development  of  the  states  in  the  territory  covered  by  the  South- 
ern Association  of  College  Women.  This  organization  appealed 
to  her  as  the  agent  through  which  she  might  best  carry  forward 
her  supreme  purpose,  the  creation  in  the  South  of  right  stand- 
ards of  collegiate  'training,  and  of  the  ability  to  distinguish 
between  the  sham  college  and  the  real  one.  At  the  time  of  her 
election  as  general  secretary  of  the  S.  A.  C.  W.  in  1912,  the 
Southern  states  boasted  over  three  hundred  self-styled  "colleges" 
for  women.  The  courage  and  labor  demanded  by  the  task  she 
undertook — to  show  up  by  actual  study  of  these  institutions  to 
what  degree  they  approximated  the  dignity  which  they 
claimed — would  (have  daunted  any  but  a  soul  on  fire  with  a 
passion  for  educational  honesty. 

Her  pamphlet,  "The  Approximate  Value  of  Degrees  from 
Southern  Colleges  for  Women,"  published  in  1916,  raised  a 
storm  in  southern  "collegiate"  circles,  and  evoked  more  than  one 
presidential  threat  of  a  libel  suit,  while  the  enduring  quality 
of  its  effect  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  requests  for  copies  of  it 
are  still  received.   In  1914  Miss  Colton  was  elected  president  of 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  Gl 

the  S.  A.  C.  W.,  and  held  this  office  for  five  years.  During 
a  part  of  this  time  she  was  also  vice-president  of  the  Associa- 
tion of  Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools  of  the  Southern  States, 
and  her  influence  in  shaping  its  policies  was  widely  recognized. 
Her  health  gave  way  completely  in  1919,  although  she  re- 
tained her  professorship  in  Meredith  College  for  nearly  two 
years  afterward.  Her  last  three  years  she  spent  in  the  Clifton 
Springs  Sanitarium,  with  such  courage,  that  a  friend  who 
visited  her  wrote,  "She  is  nothing  but  a  little  wisp  of  courage." 
Our  Association  has  rarely  had  a  member  whose  ideals  were  so 
high,  whose  labors  for  education  were  so  untiring. 


(The  appreciations  of  Miss  Colton  appearing  below  are  re- 
printed by  courtesy  of  the  Twig,  from  the  issue  of  November  21, 
1924.) 

In  thinking  of  Elizabeth  Avery  Colton  as  I  knew  her  I  jotted 
down  three  things: which  seemed  to  characterize  her  whole  life 
and  work.  These  three  things  are  (1)  culture,  (2)  sincerity, 
(3)  high  aims  and  purposes  dedicated  to  service.  Next,  I 
asked  whence  came  these.  The  answer  was  ready,  namely,  from 
her  home  life  which  was  that  of  a  missionary  family  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  of  the  latter  part  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
Those  who  have  known  such  homes  would  tell  us  that  culture, 
sincerity,  high  aims  and  purposes  dedicated  to  service  were 
typical  of  them. 

In  a  period  when  few  Southern  girls  aimed  at  anything  more 
in  the  way  of  education  than  graduation  from  a  nearby  college, 
she  won  a  master's  degree  from  Columbia  University.  She  had 
to  be  responsible  largely  for  the  financial  outlay,  for  naturally 
extra  money  wasn't  plentiful  in  a  missionary's  family. 

On  coming  to  Raleigh  Miss  Colton  promptly  identified  her- 
self with  the  community  interests.  She  moved  her  membership 
to  the  local  church  and  was  interested  in  meeting  and  knowing 


62  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

the  people  of  her  adopted  city.  Likewise,  she  very  promptly 
became  identified  with  the  general  college  interests.  Just  at 
this  time  the  question  of  changing  the  name  of  our  educational 
institution  from  "University"  to  "College"  was  being  agitated. 
She  at  once  took  her  stand  on  the  "College"  side  and  at  the  re- 
quest of  the  faculty  gathered  together  the  reasons  for  the  change 
and  put  them  into  shape  for  presentation  to  the  trustees.  We 
know  the  final  result,  namely,  the  name  of  Meredith  College, 
suggested  by  Dr.  R.  T.  Vann,  was  chosen. 

We  think  of  Miss  Colton  especially  in  connection  with  college 
standards.  From  the  time  of  her  engagement  at  Meredith  she 
was  exerting  herself  to  bring  nearer  the  day  when  we  could  meet 
all  requirements  for  a  standard  college.  She  thought  and  talked 
and  dreamed  of  it. 

Her  educational  interests,  however,  were  not  confined  to  the 
college  in  which  she  taught ;  they  were  South-wide.  She  united 
with  thati small  group  of  women  who  in  July,  1903,  at  Knoxville 
organized  the  Southern  Association  of  College  Women.  One 
of  their  declared  purposes  was  to  raise  the  standard  of  educa- 
tion for  women  in  the  South.  The  task  was  large,  but  these 
women  never  faltered.  When  the  history  of  the  educational 
awakening  of  the  South  is  adequately  written,  the  work  of  these 
women  will  be  put  in  large  letters.  For  a  number  of  years 
Miss  Colton  was  counted  their  foremost  leader. 

Sincerity  was  the  keynote  of  all  her  work.  She  hated  shams — 
sham  anything.  Her  pen  and  voice  were  brought  into  use  in 
behalf  of  sincere  college  work.  "Let  Southern  girls  know  which 
are  standard  and  which  are  imitation  colleges"  she  pleaded. 
''College  work  for  college  degrees"  was  one  of  her  much  used 
phrases.    Sincerity  marked  her  class  work. 

There  was  another  movement  which  she  was  backing  and 
leading  (if  one  may  do  both  at  the  same  time)  and  in  behalf 
of  which  she  would  doubtless  have  continued  to  fight  had  illness 
not  intervened.  I  refer  to  the  movement  to  have  passed  through 
the  legislatures  of  all  of  the  Southern  states  a  bill  setting  certain 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  G3 

standards  which  must  be  reached  before  an  educational  institu- 
tion could  bear  the  name  of  "College."  Such  a  bill  was  passed 
by  North  Carolina  and  I  think  by  one  or  two  other  states. 

Courage,  the  handmaiden  of  Sincerity,  was  one  of  her  out- 
standing characteristics.  She  published  a  number  of  pamphlets 
giving  the  status  of  Southern  colleges  for  women.  There  were 
many  to  dispute  her  findings  and  law  suits  were  threatened. 
One  college  president  wrote  her  definitely  that  if  she  didn't 
retract  her  statements  about  his  college  he  would  go  at  once 
into  the  courts.  She  said,  "If  I  could  find  any  reasons  for  think- 
ing my  statements  are  incorrect,  I  would  publish  apologies  and 
corrections  any  where  I  could  get  space,  but  as  long  as  I'm  sure 
I  am  correct  I  will  go  to  jail  rather  than  retract  a  single  state- 
ment." And  she  would  have  done  so. 

She  was  generous  in  her  personal  giving.  I  recall  one  occasion 
when  an  appeal  for  some  object  came.  She  remarked,  "I  don't 
know  when  I  ought  to  stop  giving.  As  long  as  one  has  any 
balance  in  the  bank  she  can  write  a  check.  I  guess  I  will  give 
them  something  and  trust  to  the  Lord  to  take  care  of  me  if  I 
get  helpless." 

Elizabeth  Colton  was  my  friend,  loyal  and  true,  honored  and 
valued.  I  take  as  my  consolation  in  her  death  that  she  "though 
dead  yet  liveth." 

Rosa  Paschal, 
(Dean  of  Greenville'  Woman  s  College) 


It  was  in  the  spring  of  1909  that  Miss  Alice  Meserve  of 
the  Latin  department  urged  us  to  start  a  branch  of  the 
Southern  Association  of  College  Women  in  Raleigh.  It  was 
out  of  the  two  groups  of  the  faculty  and  the  "S.  A.  C.  W." 
that  Miss  Colton's  work  started  which  lead  her  to  tabulate  the 
standards  of  the  so-called  colleges  for  women  in  North  Carolina, 
and  later  for  those  of  the  South.  She  read  a  number  of  papers 
on  this  subject  before  the  Southern  Association  of  Colleges  and 


64  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

Preparatory  Schools  that  were  spoken  of  as  "high  explosives/' 
but  which  were  looked  for  as  one  of  the  events  of  each  con- 
ference. 

As  the  years  passed  it  became  evident  to  us  all  that  she  was 
breaking,  but  the  work  for  Meredith  was  so  far  advanced  that 
others  could  continue  it,  and  she  lived  to  see  the  college  accepted 
by  the  Southern  Association  of  Colleges  and  also  by  the  Ameri- 
can Association  of  University  Women. 

Elizabeth  Colton  would  not  wish  to  be  remembered  for  her 
physical  pain,  but  for  her  fighting  spirit.  Much  work  still 
remains,  and  it  is  toward  that  work  her  spirit  would  direct 
the  college,  and  the  college  women  of  her  beloved  South. 

Mary   Shannon   Smith, 
(Professor  of  History,  Converse  College) 


As  a  teacher,  Miss  Colton's  first  desire  for  the  girls  who  came 
under  her  care  was  that  they  should  learn,  both  in  writing 
and  in  speaking,  to  use  their  native  tongue  worthily.  She 
founded  the  tradition  of  sound  training  in  composition  which 
has  ever  since  charaeetrized  the  teaching  of  English  at  Meredith, 
and  which  I  hope  will  never  be  forgotten  there.  She  was  determ- 
ined that  no  student  should  go  out,  with  the  seal  of  college 
approval,  who  was  either  ignorant  of  or  oblivious  to  the  claims 
of  good  usage.  In  realizing  this  ideal  she  had  a  large  measure 
of  success,  for  her  resources  were  infinite.  There  was  help, 
abundant  and  patient,  for  those  who  would  avail  themselves  of 
it.  But  the  careless  and  the  unwilling  learned  to  their  cost  what 
batteries  of  wit,  sarcasm,  and  scorn  she  could  bring  up  against 
them.  Unhampered  by  false  sentiment,  and  courageous  enough 
to  inflict  pain  when  she  deemed  it  necessary,  she  was  yet 
generous  in  her  praise  when  it  was  deserved,  and  her  commenda- 
tion was  worth  working  for. 

But  her  students,  if  they  were  apt,  learned  more  than  good 
usage.    She  taught  them  logical  processes  of  thought,  and  she 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  65 

made  them  understand  something  of  style  by  her  insistence  on 
economy  of  utterance,  and  by  her  love  for  distinction  of  phras- 
ing. 

As  a  teacher  of  literature,  Miss  Colton  proceeded  upon  the 
sound  principle  that  appreciation  is  grounded  in  the  under- 
standing of  an  author's  thought.  Many  a  student,  too,  awakened 
to  an  enjoyment  of  the  best  as  a  result  of  hearing  her  read. 
She  was  a  beautiful  reader ;  and  some  of  the  best-loved  cadences 
in  English  poetry  are  in  my  mind  associated  with  her  voice. 

But  this  is  not  all.  During  those  last  years,  when  her  life  was 
bounded  by  the  walls  of  a  hospital  room,  she  was  still  a  teacher 
and  she  taught  those  who  saw  her  lessons  to  be  cherished 
beyond  those  of  the  class-room :  how  self-forgetful  and  gracious 
one  can  be  under  suffering,  and  how  brave  the  human  spirit  can 
be  when  it  faces  the  dark. 

Such  seems  my  former  instructor,  as  I  look  back  over  the 
days  during  which  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  be  associated 
with  her.  If  we  teachers  of  the  second  generation  can  pass  on 
to  others  something  of  the  training  and  ideals  which  we  had 
from  her,  we  shall  not  fail  to  be  of  some  service  in  the  world. 

Maey  S.  Steele, 
(Professor  of  English,  Bessie  Tift  College) 


Never  did  a  great  general  upon  a  fiercely  contested  battle 
field  make  a  more  gallant  and  heroic  fight  for  victory  than  did 
our  friend  for  her  life.  Her  unconquerable  spirit  triumphed 
over  the  ills  of  the  flesh  for  nearly  three  years  and,  when  at 
last  her  physician  held  out  no  hope  of  a  recovery,  she  yielded, 
sustained  by  her  unwavering  faith  and  an  unfaltering  trust  in 
Him  who  doeth  all  things  well. 

To  the  very  last  she  was  interested  in  and  rejoiced  over  the 
progress  of  Meredith  College.  ,  To  her  host  of  friends  who  con- 
tributed so  generously  in  material  support  during  the  last 
year  and  a  half  of  her  life,  her  heart  went  out  in  loving  grati- 
5 


66  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

tude.  After  the  long  martydom  of  pain,  the  end  came  peacefully 
the  25th  of  last  August  when  she  fell  asleep  in  the  arms  of 
Him  who  giveth  His  beloved  rest. 

Catherine  Allen, 
(Professor  of  Modern  Languages,  Meredith  College) 


Blanche  Barrus  and  Dorothy  Gower 

The  keynote  of  one  of  the  speeches  made  at  the  exercises  for 
the  laying  of  the  cornerstone  of  New  Meredith  was  embodied 
in  the  spoken  words  "Meredith  Marches  On."  This  has  been 
true  of  Meredith  all  through  the  years  gone  by  and  we  trust  will 
be  her  slogan  always. 

Meredith  marches  on, — not  only  in  a  physical  way,  as  ex- 
pressed by  the  wonderful  new  expansion  in  brick  and  stone,  not 
only  by  the  development  of  her  academic  courses,  until  she  now 
ranks  second  to  none  in  our  Southland,  but  in  a  way  even  more 
triumphant,  though  much  more  difficult  to  estimate,  she  marches 
on  through  the  lives  of  those  upon  whom  she  imprints  her  spirit 
and  worth.  Truly,  she  marches  on  through,  the  lives  and  in- 
fluences of  these,  her  handmaidens,  unto  the  uttermost  parts  of 
the  earth. 

There  are  many  through  whom  she  is  speaking  actively  to- 
day; there  are  others,  who,  having  borne  their  testimony,  have 
gone  on  to  the  better  land,  but  still  speak  through  the  lives  they 
touched  and  influenced  while  here. 

Oftentimes  we  wonder  why  it  is  that  many  who  appear 
thoughtless  and  aimless  live  long,  useless  lives,  while  others 
who  seem  born  with  the  purpose  and  determination  to  succeed 
and  serve  are  cut  short  in  a  mysterious  way.  So  it  seems  with 
two  splendid  spirits — two  daughters  through  whom  Meredith 
surely  marches  on,  though  they  were  here  so  short  a  time. 

Although  widely  separated  in  point  of  years,  Blanche  Barrus 
and  Dorothy  Gower  had  many  points  in  common.    Possessed  of 


THE  MEREDITH   GRANDDAUGHTERS   CLUB 


Alice  Graves  Hunsucker,  President 

Ruth  Janet  Sikes,  Secretary-Treasurer 

Catherine  Baines,  Reporter 

Mary  Allison 

Estelle  Pittman 

Martha  McCullen 

Emily  Cheek 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  67 

unusually  winning  personalities,  sweet  and  sunny-haired,  each 
girl,  one  in  1906-10 — the  other  1920-24,  soon  came  to  be  a 
leader  in  college  life, — both  intensely  interested  in  the  work 
of  the  College  Young  Women's  Auxiliary  mission  study  and 
all  that  pertained  to  the  uplift  of  the  student  body.  Eager  to 
give  their  best  to  their  Master,  each  one  found  herself  desiring 
more  than  any  other  thing  to  serve  her  Lord  in  the  foreign 
fields  as  a  medical  missionary. 

This  desire  was  intensified  with  the  older  girl,  Blanche 
Barrus,  by  her  service  when  through  college,  as  Corresponding 
Secretary  for  the  North  Carolina  W.  M.  U.  Having  been  in- 
fluenced in  her  own  life  decision  by  the  inspiration  of  Miss 
Fannie  E.  S.  Heck,  the  founder  and  for  many  years  the  presi- 
dent of  the  North  Carolina  and  Southern  Baptist  W.  M.  XL, 
she  was  a  particularly  fine  leader  for  North  Carolina  women 
in  their  missionary  endeavors.  All  through  the  State  she  went, 
winning  friends  for  her  Master  everywhere,  sowing  the  seed 
in  countless  young  lives  that  have  gone  on  bearing  fruit,  when 
she  herself  could  no  longer  serve. 

Tireless  in  her  devotion  and  determination,  she  broke  down 
in  health  completely  while  taking  the  last  years  of  medical 
training  for  the  fulfillment  of  her  lifelong  ambition,  and  instead 
of  going  to  minister  to  the  suffering  and  bedridden  ones  of 
China,  she  herself  was  for  many  months  a  weary  sufferer.  Even 
then,  though,  her  courageous  spirit  triumphed,  and  nurses  and 
doctors  and  many  fellow  patients  testified  to  her  wonderful 
influence  and  self-sacrifice.    So  passed  a  beautiful  life. 

How  fitting  it  is  that  North  Carolina  Baptists  are  naming 
the  Nurses'  Home  of  their  new  hospital  "The  Blanche  Barrus 
Nurses'  Home"  in  memory  of  this  young  woman  who  was  so 
fine  an  example  of  Christian  young  womanhood. 

Dorothy  Gower,  as  a  little  child,  with  shining  eyes  and  bright 
face,  would  testify  for  her  Master  in  her  church  and  associa- 
tional  meetings ;  as  a  young  girl  in  college  she  pondered  over  the 
wonderful  stories  of  brave  missionaries  in  her  mission  study 


68  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

books,  and  planned  for  her  Y.  W.  A.  girls  to  do  bigger.,  better 
things  than  any  other  college  Y.  W.  A. 

These  Y.  W.  A.  girls  are  now  honoring  her  in  a  beautiful 
way  by  furnishing  a  room,  which  will  bear  her  name,  in  the 
Blanche  Barrus  Nurses'  Home  already  mentioned. 

Dorothy  longed  to  give  her  best  to  lost  souls  as  she  eased  their 
sufferings  in  far  away  India  or  China  or  Japan;  but,  while 
still  a  student,  our  Heavenly  Father  took  her  fine  spirit  home 
one  summer  day. 

These  two  Meredith  daughters  know  each  other  now.  Kindred 
spirits  as  they  were,  they  understand  now  their  Father's  will. 
We  see  in  part  only,  but  we  do  know  that  in  their  brief  years, 
and  through  their  lives  and  their  influence  more  good  was  accom- 
plished than  in  many  much  longer  lives. 

Their  gentle  hands  never  realized  their  greatest  desire — to 
serve  the  suffering  heathen  sister — but,  who  can  tell  how  many 
other  young  lives  touched  by  the  influence  of  these  two  girls, 
have  been  given  in  service  and  will  be  used  in  their  stead — 
their  number  increasing  throughout  the  years  as  the  ripples 
of  the  sea  spread  on  and  on. 

Thus,  truly,  because  of  these  and  many  other  lives,  Meredith 
marches  on. 

Vieginia  Egerton   Simms,   1904-05. 


Message   From   Meredith's   Granddaughters 
and  Daughters 

"Mother,  please  tell  me  a  story,"  in  a  phrase  that  all  mothers 
hear,  but  could  any  mother  gratify  that  wish  more  than  my 
own  did  when  the  stories  were  of  Meredith  days  with  souvenirs 
accompanying  each  story.  There  was  the  old  "Memory  Book" 
that  held  signatures  of  Rosa,  Margaret,  Ruth  and  many  others 
that  I  have  since  learned  must  be  spoken  of  in  very  respectful 
tones.  Then  there  was  the  "First  Night"  story,  when  they  all 
slept  on  the  floor  because  the  beds  were  not  up.    And  one  day 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  69 

I  found  an  old  pennant  that  looked  as  tho'  it  had  been  through 
the  war  but  on  it  was  B.  F.  U.  "That,  Mary/'  mother  said 
laughing,  "was  the  alma  mater  banner,  but  yours  will  look 
so  much  prettier.  See,  it  will  look  like  this — Meredith,"  and 
she  took  my  hand  to  trace  the  beloved  name  which  grew  from 
Baptist  Female  University  into  the  present  beautiful  and  sacred 
name.  From  the  days  I  traced  the  name  Meredith  on  the  paper 
it  was  traced  on  my  mind,  and  the  name  of  no  other  college 
entered  the  domain  of  my  thoughts. 

Mary  Allison,  1927. 


I  have  always  known  that  I  would  come  to  Meredith.  My 
mother  entered  here  as  a  sophomore  the  first  year  Meredith 
opened.  She  went  to  another  college,  her  freshman  year  as 
Meredith  was  not  opened  at  the  time  she  was  prepared  to  go. 
She  studied  art  under  Miss  Ida  Poteat  and  loved  her,  just  as 
all  of  us  do  who  come  here.  Mother  died  when  I  was  only  four 
years  of  age,  so  I  do  not  remember  hearing  her  talk  about 
Meredith,  but  my  father  was  a  student  at  Wake  Forest  at  the 
same  time  my  mother  was  a  student  here.  Of  course  he  was  a 
frequent  visitor  and  liked  Meredith  immensely.  He  has  always 
talked  about  the  time  when  my  younger  sister  and  I  should  come 
to  Meredith.  I  have  often  heard  him  say  he  wished  us  to  come 
here  because  it  was  a  denominational  college  therefore  the 
religious  influences  were  good. 

I  have  been  here  one  school  term  and  have  found  the  religious 
side  of  Meredith  to  be  very  much  in  the  foreground  of  the  col- 
lege life.  We  have  four  A-l  B.  Y.  P.  U.'s,  a  Y.  W.  C.  A.,  a 
Y.  W.  A.  and  other  Christian  organizations  too. 

But  it  is  very  necessary  that  we  have  a  larger  place  in  which 
to  work.  The  present  Meredith  occupies  a  city  block  and  several 
buildings  near.  There  is  not  room  for  a  good  athletic  field. 
This  is  a  necessity  because  the  body  must  be  kept  in  good 
health  so  that  the  mind  can  do  its  best  work.  The  dormitories 
are  crowded  to  overflowing.    However,  there  is  a  new  Meredith 


70  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

being  built  on  a  beautiful  site  just  outside  of  Raleigh.  The 
erecting  of  the  college  will  need  a  great  amount  of  money  and 
earnest  prayer.  We  are  hoping  that  those  who  can  will  con- 
tribute to  Meredith's  Cause. 

Martha  McCtillen,   1928. 


Ever  since  I  have  been  big  enough  to  know  that  I  was  to 
continue  my  education  through  college,  it  has  been  understood 
that  I  should  come  to  Meredith,  because  mother  came.  She  told 
me  about  the  Christian  spirit  that  prevailed  among  the  students, 
the  many  fine  girls  that  came  to  Meredith,  and  how  nicely 
they  treated  new  girls,  who  probably  had  never  been  off  from 
home  before.  She  also  told  me  about  the  wonderful  work  of 
the  college.  I  have  found  all  of  this  to  be  true  in  the  few 
months  that  I  have  been  here.  The  students  co-operate  with  our 
President,  and  our  faculty  to  do  the  best  in  the  interest  of 
Meredith.  Now  it  is  unable  to  accommodate  all  the  Baptist  girls 
in  our  State,  not  counting  the  girls  of  other  denominations  that 
want  to  come  here.  We  hate  to  turn  these  girls  away,  but  it 
seems  as  if  there  is  nothing  else  to  do.  Meredith  is  a  splendid 
college  for  a  young  girl.  Its  standards  are  high  and  it  is 
beautifully  situated  in  the  Capital  city  of  our  State.  Meredith 
is  trying  her  best  to  build  a  place  large  enough  to  hold  the 
girls  who  seek  an  education,  but  she  cannot  do  this  successfully 
unless  the  Baptist  people  of  our  State  co-operate  with  her  in 
this  undertaking.  This  means  that  every  one  of  us  will  have  to 
pray,  pay,  and  work  for  this  New  Meredith. 

ESTELLE    PlTTMAN,    1928. 


As  I  sit  here  in  my  cool,  sweet  room  the  question  comes  to 
me,  why  did  I  come  to  Meredith?  It  is  indeed  an  interesting 
question  to  consider.  Ever  since  I  was  a  tiny  girl  I  have  known 
all  about  Meredith.  But  that  was  most  natural  because  my 
mother  was  an  old  Meredith  girl.   One  of  my  favorite  bed  time 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  71 

stories  was  about  the  time  daddy  proposed  to  mother  in  what 
was  then  the  library,  and  is  now  Mr.  Perry's  classroom.  When 
I  was  older  I  had  a  great  many  cousins  who  went  to  Meredith. 
They  often  came  to  see  us,  bringing  their  girl  friends  with  them. 
Those  were  exciting  times  for  a  small  girl,  watching  the  girls 
dress,  seeing  their  flowers  and  begging  to  see  them  off  with  their 
"dates."  Years  slipped  by  and  I  grew  up  and  was  ready  for 
college,  myself,  don't  you  think  it  was  most  natural  for  me 
to  come  back  to  my  Mother's  Alma  Mater,  that  I  had  loved 
since  I  was  a  child? 

Ruth  Janet  Sikes,  1926. 


In  Training  for  Christian  Service 

It's  not  the  ivied  towers,  nor  the  green  grass  on  the  campus; 
nor  yet  the  old  oaks  that  stand  guard  at  the  entrance,  that  make 
our  college.  If  such  were  true,  it  would  be  impossible  to  move 
Meredith  to  new  surroundings.  It's  in  the  hearts  of  her  daugh- 
ters that  one  can  find  just  what  our  Alma  Mater  really  is — 
Meredith  is  not  just  brick  and  stone  and  wood,  Meredith  is 
real — vital,  with  that  great  spirit  that  makes  its  impression  on 
every  one  who  comes  in  contact  with  it.  It's  the  heart  of  her, 
the  great  throbbing  soul  of  her,  that  make  us  hope,  and  plan, 
and  work,  with  faith  in  our  friends  and  faith  in  God,  the 
"giver  of  every  good  and  perfect  gift." 

Elizabeth  Purnell,  1926. 


What  has  Meredith  and  my  college  course  meant  to  me?  It 
has  meant  the  discovery  of  vast  realms  of  knowledge,  of  which 
I  did  not  dream  in  high  school  days.  I  can  remember  now 
when  as  a  freshman  I  first  thrilled  with  the  feeling  that  I  stood 
tiptoe  on  the  threshold  of  a  great  storehouse  of  wealth,  with  the 
rosy  dawn  of  conscious  youth  at  my  back.  It  has  meant  also 
the  making  of  dear  friendships.     But,  greater  than  all  else, 


72  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

Meredith  has  brought  home  to  me  a  realization  of  the  signifi- 
cance of  ordinary  daily  living. 

At  an  early  age  I  had  planned  to  be  noteworthy — famous  in 
some  line.  Mediocrity  was  anathema  to  my  youthful  imagina- 
tion. As  I  gradually  wakened  to  the  sad  fact  that  I  had  not 
been  fitted  by  nature  for  a  place  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  I 
succumbed  to  the  materialism  which  was  characteristic  of  my 
small-town  home. 

For  the  average  life  to  which  I  considered  myself  now  doomed, 
I  needed  no  great  preparation.  One  year  of  college  training — 
or,  at  most,  two — was  surely  all  I  should  need.  From  a  mone- 
tary standpoint,  I  could  see  that  a  college  graduate  had  no 
great  advantage  over  the  girl  who  was  not  the  possessor  of  a 
degree.  It  was  a  natural  reaction  from  the  visionary  ideals  of 
my  childhood,  but  was  dangerously  emphasized  by  the  lack  of 
vision  and  of  ideals  of  a  small  town  which  knew  no  standard  but 
the  dollar  mark. 

It  was  not  in  my  case  very  promising  material  with  which 
Meredith  had  to  work.  I  had  no  great  purpose  which  was  to 
be  like  a  lamp  unto  my  feet.  I  was  not  impressed  with  the 
importance  of  college  training.  At  the  bottom  of  all  my  lack 
of  interest  was  the  feeling  that  it  did  not  matter  greatly.  I 
had  been  given  no  special  talent  to  the  development  of  which 
I  might  devote  my  life.  The  world — the  big  world  outside 
my  family  and  town — would  never  know  I  had  lived. 

In  helping  me  to  change  this  warped  outlook  on  life,  one 
not  uncommon  among  high  school  students,  Meredith  has  done 
all  for  me.  Following  the  discovery  in  my  freshman  days  of 
the  existence  of  that  world  of  knowledge  which  I  desired  to 
explore  came  the  realization  of  the  importance  of  college  train- 
ing. In  the  atmosphere  of  Meredith,  created  by  those  who  have 
made  of  living  a  fine  art,  gradually  there  has  come  the  realiza- 
tion that  life  itself,  and  not  the  possession  or  lack  of  talents, 
is  the  important  matter — that  the  greatest  art  is  the  art  of 
living.  ,  1925. 


■       "'  " '  ■.'■■■ 


OFFICERS   B.   Y.   P.   U.,   1924-1925 


Edith  Maynard,  General  President 
Pauline  Sawyer,  Secretary 


Leaders 
Catherine  Cooke 
Bettie  Hewlett 
Marguerite  Harrison 
Jessamine  Oldham 


Rosa  Hocutt,  B.   Y.  P.   U. 
Celia  Herring,  B.  Y.  P.  U. 
Foy  WiUingham,  B.  Y.  P.   U. 
Pearle  Johnson,  B.  Y.  P.   U. 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  73 


Roll-call  of  Student  Volunteers  for  1924-25 

Abbott,  Annabelle,  '26  Herrin,  Minnie,  '26 

Ayers,  Mary,  '28  Jordan,  Annie  Mae,  '27 

Barnwell,  Daisy,  '26  Milton,  Vera  Pearl,  '25 

Beeker,  Gladys,  '28  Misenheimer,  Mary,  '26 

Barker,  Ruby,  '25  Neathery,  Grace,  '26 

Cheeves,  Mary,  '28  Tripp,  Doris,  '28 

Daniel,  Iona,  '25  Stakes,  Florence,  '27 

Daniel,  Ruby,  '28  Stafford,  Lois,  '27 

Dunning,  Dorothy,  '28  Woods,  Nancy,  '27 
Henderson,  Margaret,  '26 


Our  Volunteers  at  Meredith 

This  year  ('24-'25)  there  are  at  Meredith  nineteen  girls  who 
have  answered  God's  call  to  do  definite  service  for  Him  in  our 
foreign  mission  fields. 

Three  of  them  are  seniors  and  graduate  this  year;  two  of 
these  three  will  soon  begin  their  training  to  become  nurses,  one 
at  our  own  Baptist  Hospital,  the  other  at  Bellevue  Hospital, 
New  York.  The  Junior  Class  claims  six  of  these  girls,  the 
Sophomore  three,  and  the  Freshman  seven.  Our  North  Caro- 
lina Baptist  Education  Board  gives  aid  to  twelve  of  these 
nineteen. 

Of  vital  interest  to  each  Meredith  volunteer  is  the  future 
of  her  beloved  Alma  Mater.  By  prayer  and  hard  work  they 
strive  to  help  her  stand  for  the  purest  and  noblest  of  Christian 
womanhood.  It  is  true  that  they  are  particularly  interested  in 
the  spiritual  atmosphere  of  our  campus,  but  they  are  a  loyal 
part  of  every  other  college  activity.  In  scholarship,  several 
have  made  first  or  second  honor  roll.  When  this  group  of  girls 
comes  together  for  a  meeting  you  will  find  among  them  the 
following:  The  vice-president  of  our  North  Carolina  Volun- 
teer Union;  the  presidents  of  our  Y.  W.  0.  A.,  Y.  W.  A.,  and 
Athletic  Association ;  also  the  vice-president  of  the  A.  A. ;  two 
6 


74  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

members  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  our  Student  Govern- 
ment; seven  members  of  our  Y.  W.  C.  A.  cabinet;  two  members 
of  the  staffs  of  our  publications;  several  B.  Y.  P.  IT.  officers; 
a  society  chaplain,  and  the  college  fire  chief.  As  varied  as  their 
duties  are  now,  so  will  their  tasks  be  in  later  years.  Together 
now,  they  await  the  day  when  prepared  they  may  truly  answer 
God's  call. 

Early  in  her  college  career  the  volunteer  becomes  aware  of 
the  significance  of  the  motto  on  Meredith's  seal,  and  the  longer 
she  remains  at  Meredith,  the  more  this  becomes  a  part  of  her. 
Going  out  from  her  Alma  Mater  with  the  torch  shining  and 
with  God's  Word  on  her  lips,  surely,  she  will  be  a  "light"  unto 
a  dark  world. 

Mary  Misenheimer,  1926. 


Meredith  Club 

The  organization  of  the  Meredith  Club  was  brought  about 
for  the  purpose  of  aiding  those  girls  who  found  it  necessary  to 
help  themselves  financially  by  doing  some  work  while  attending 
school.  East  Building  was  purchased  for  this  purpose  about 
1900.  Mrs.  Jessie  Earnshaw,  of  Wake  Forest,  began  her  work 
with  the  club  that  year,  coincident  with  Dr.  Vann's  adminis- 
tration. As  East  Building  was  filled  to  overflowing  by  the 
second  year,  two  cottages  were  purchased  for  rooming  space. 
Mrs.  Earnshaw  became  full-time  supervisor  of  the  club,  and 
continued  her  work  until  the  summer  of  1916,  except  for  the 
years  1908-1910.  For  the  next  two  years  Miss  Mattie  Wood 
Osborne  and  Mrs.  Elliott  had  charge  of  the  club.  In  1918 
Mrs.  B.  W.  Cooper  came,  and  is  still  supervising  and  directing 
the  club.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  club  has  made  itself  a 
permanent  part  of  our  college,  for  now  there  is  no  restriction 
as  to  where  our  girls  shall  room  except  in  Main  Building. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  trace  the  activities  of  the  club  girl 
while  in  college,  and  also  after  graduation.     While  in  school 


Meredith  College  Bulletin  75 

she  has  equal  standing  with  all  other  girls.  Mrs.  Earnshaw 
states  that  "for  those  first  seventeen  years  the  larger  number 
of  presidents  for  Y.  W.  C.  A.,  a  great  number  of  officers  for 
literary  societies,  for  classes  and  for  all  different  organizations 
of  the  college,  a  larger  number  of  delegates  to  various  conven- 
tions of  religious  and  educational  interest,  and  the  first  seven 
Student  Government  presidents  came  from  the  club  members." 
This  can  truly  be  said  of  the  club  today,  for  at  least  50  per 
cent  of  the  girls  holding  offices  in  our  college  are  members  of 
Meredith  Club. 

Mrs.  Earnshaw  says:  "Following  the  lives  of  the  alumnse, 
we  find  that,  of  the  thirteen  volunteers  sent  to  the  Home  and 
Foreign  Mission  fields,  only  one  was  not  a  club  girl."  Today 
we  have  nineteen  volunteers  for  the  foreign  field  in  our  college, 
and  thirteen  of  them  are  club  members.  There  is  also  a  Life 
Service  Band,  consisting  of  eight  girls  studying  for  Home 
Mission  work,  seven  of  whom  are  club  girls.  Two  club  girls 
have  made  very  successful  W.  M.  U.  secretaries,  one  of  whom 
was  Miss  Blanche  Barrus,  who  died  shortly  before  beginning 
her  work  as  a  medical  missionary,  and  for  whom  the  nurses' 
home  at  our  Baptist  Hospital  is  to  be  named  as  a  memorial. 
The  only  Meredith  alumna  who  holds  a  Ph.D.  degree  was  a 
club  girl.  Of  the  thirty-one  who  have  been  called  back  as 
members  of  Meredith  College  Faculty,  sixteen  were  club  girls. 

Wot  only  in  Worth  Carolina,  but  also  in  distant  States  and 
throughout  the  world,  we  find  our  Meredith  club  girls  standing 
for  all  that  is  best  in  citizenship  and  religion,  and  using  the 
equipment  they  received  at  Meredith  in  a  way  that  reflects 
credit  on  their  Alma  Mater. 

There  is  another  interesting  side  of  our  club  work.  The  real 
purpose  of  the  club,  as  mentioned  above,  is  to  help  girls  who 
otherwise  would  not  be  permitted  to  come  to  Meredith.  The 
existence  of  the  club  means  that  two  girls  can  earn  their  entire 
expenses,  six  can  obtain  their  board,  and  six  can  secure  one-half 
of  their  board  for  each  year.  During  the  last  six  years  eight 
girls  have  gone  out  from  Meredith  who  have  earned  their  entire 


76  Meredith  College  Bulletin 

expenses  while  in  school;  seventy-two  have  earned  all  or  one- 
half  of  their  board;  and  more  than  eight  hundred  have  been 
enabled  to  secure  board  for  $12.50  a  month  during  the  school 
year.  The  girls  not  only  receive  financial  benefits  from  the 
club,  but  also  practical  benefits.  The  knowledge  they  gain  and 
the  experience  they  have  in  the  club  work  render  them  more 
capable  as  home-builders;  and  they  have  the  opportunity  for 
developing  a  spirit  of  useful,  thoughtful  service,  which  makes 
them  active  community  workers  after  leaving  college. 

Thus,  we  have  traced  the  history  of  the  club,  given  an  insight 
into  our  club  work,  and  tried  to  show  what  Meredith  Club 
stands  for.  Since  the  club  through  the  years  has  served  so 
well,  shall  it  not  be  a  definite  part  of  "NEW"  Meredith? 

Maeagabet  Waed  Hendeeson,  1926. 


[The  college  thanks  heartily  every  contributor  to  this  book 
of  remembrance,  of  love,  and  of  hope.  Trusting  in  prayer  and 
in  the  definite  guidance  of  God's  Spirit,  "Meredith  Marches 
On!" — Editoe's  Note.] 


DO  YOU  KNOW 

— That  you,  as  a  Baptist,  have  part  ownership  in  Meredith 
College  ? 

— That  money  you  invest  here  will  yield  rich  dividends  in 
trained  workers? 

— That  more  than  fifteen  of  its  former  students  are  foreign 
missionaries,  and  that  many  more  are  at  work  as  home  mission- 
aries, Sunday  school  workers,  Bible  teachers,  and  pastors' 
assistants? 

— That  the  student  body  represents  seven  States  and  one 
foreign  country? 

— That  Meredith  College  is  an  Al  standard  college,  being  a 
member  of  the  Association  of  Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools 
of  the  Southern  States? 

— That  Meredith  College  graduates  are  eligible  to  member- 
ship in  the  American  Association  of  University  Women? 

— That  Meredith  College  graduates  have  secured  the  A.M. 
degree  in  one  year  from  such  universities  as  Brown,  Cornell, 
Columbia  ? 

—That  in  1926-1927  Meredith  College  will  house  500  girls 
instead  of  340,  as  at  present? 

— That  a  gift  to  Meredith  College  this  year  will  be  worth 
many  times  the  value  of  the  same  gift  a  few  years  hence? 


